New year.

Same us.

Different plan . . . kinda.

We were supposed to have a guest.

The internet said absolutely not.

So instead of forcing it, spiraling, or pretending everything was fine, we did what entrepreneurs actually do . . .

We pivoted.

What started as technical difficulties turned into an unplanned New Year episode full of:

• real talk

• business lessons

• zero structure

• a lot of laughter

• and a reminder that you don’t control the chaos, you control the response

If that doesn’t sum up business (and life) heading into a new year, we don’t know what does.

Here’s your permission slip for 2025:

✨ Pivot when it breaks

✨ Laugh when it’s messy

✨ Keep showing up anyway

New year. Same energy.

Just a little better at rolling with it.

What starts as a passion doesn’t always come with a business plan.

In this episode, we sit down with Crystalrae States, founder of Boilermakers Softball and longtime operator in the youth sports world, to talk about what it really looks like when love for the game turns into a business… and then into something bigger than you expected.

Crystalrae shares her journey from phys ed teacher to youth sports leader, the moment she realized she had accidentally built a business, and the hard lessons that came with scaling too fast. We talk identity crises, leadership loneliness, letting people down, rebuilding trust, and learning when to pull back instead of push harder.

This conversation dives deep into:

If you’ve ever built something from the heart and then questioned everything along the way, this episode will hit home.

Real talk. No fluff. Just honest insight on building something that actually matters.

What happens when something you love accidentally turns into a business . . . and then into something bigger than you ever expected?

In this episode, we sit down with Nessie Blaze to talk about what it really looks like to build a business from passion, not a playbook. From youth sports and coaching to scaling too fast, losing your footing, and having to face some hard truths, this conversation is raw, honest, and deeply relatable for any entrepreneur who has ever questioned why they started.

We dig into identity crises in business, the emotional weight of leadership, what happens when you outgrow your original vision, and how staying rooted in your “why” can pull you back from the edge when quitting feels easier than continuing.

This is a conversation about purpose over perfection, people over ego, and learning how to grow without losing what made it matter in the first place.

If you’ve ever felt the pressure of building something you care deeply about, this one will hit home.