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.

We love a guest who can drop knowledge without making us feel like we’re trying to decode a NASA manual, and that is exactly why we brought on Dr. Julie Radico — psychologist, author of You Will Get Through This, speaker, teacher, and professional jargon destroyer.

We met Julie at the Lower Bucks Chamber’s BOSS Roundtable and immediately loved her style: she takes complicated, clinical concepts and turns them into real language you can actually use. Not the “emotional dysregulation” nonsense… but the real translation, like: your emotions feel hard to manage, here’s what to do next.

In this episode we get into:

• The “teach-back” method and how repeating things in your own words changes everything

• How anger actually works (spoiler: venting doesn’t help, rage rooms don’t help, and you have 90 seconds to break the cycle)

• Why we assume the worst about people’s intentions (yes, even the guy who cut you off)

• CBT, ACT, trauma tools, and how she builds therapy around the actual person, not the manual

• How she manages doing a ton — private practice, coaching, consulting, speaking, writing — without burning out

• Why therapists need boundaries too, and how she protects her own energy

• Her book, You Will Get Through This, a mental health first‑aid kit you can pick up, flip through, and use chapter by chapter

• The brand‑new book she’s writing on anger (dropping in 2026 — you heard it here first)

Julie is funny, sharp, grounded, and makes mental health feel doable. Whether you’re a business owner, a parent, or just someone who sometimes cries out of anger in the car line (hi Jess), this episode gives you tools you can use today.

And yes… she did the high kick at the end.

We tracked down Jade Stanton the way most of us find trouble on the internet … by creeping her online and sliding into the DMs. And honestly… best decision ever. Jade is a mental health coach and peer support coach specializing in Borderline Personality Disorder — but don’t roll your eyes yet. This episode is not clinical. It’s real, raw, and packed with tools for anyone who’s ever felt overwhelmed, misunderstood, or just plain tired.

We dive into:

• Jade’s origin story — years of real struggle with BPD, finding her way through treatment, and wanting something better for others.

• How she went from volunteering in online communities to turning that care into a business (without shady credentials or shortcuts).

• What it actually looks like to support people in the gray area between therapy appointments — when you can’t call a therapist, but you need help now.

• Boundaries, burnout, ethics, and how to walk that legal/heart line with integrity.

• The tools she uses (and teaches) — not just to help her clients, but to help herself stay balanced when life gets heavy.

This one hits deep for founders, caregivers, and anyone who’s ever felt like life is too much, too fast, or too emotional. If you think coaches are hacks — Jade will make you rethink that. And if you think you’re too much — this episode is for you.

Connect with Jade: https://www.jadestanton.com/

Jump into her community, get DBT‑based skills, or schedule a free consult — she’s honest about boundaries, ethics, and referrals, and she genuinely wants to help without playing therapist.

Website: https://www.jadestanton.com/

Notes pulled directly from the Interview

👉 Jade calls herself a mental health coach (and sometimes peer support coach).

👉 She started by helping others voluntarily in online BPD communities before turning it into a business.

👉 She has a Bachelor’s in psychology and real‑world training through internships and work in therapy settings — not just a “certification off YouTube.”

👉 She makes it clear she does coaching, not therapy — and draws ethical/ legal lines about what she can and cannot do.

👉 She often works with clients alongside their therapists, deferring to them when needed and referring out when something is beyond coaching scope.

👉 Her biggest focus is helping people stay sane between therapy sessions — emotional regulation, empathy, connection, and practical tools.

👉 Her community is HUGE online (about 13,000 in free groups) and smaller private training groups where she teaches weekly.

👉 She’s open about stress, burnout, and the tools she uses herself — because she practices what she teaches.

Episode Description:
Jess Bisher is a mom of four, a franchise owner, and a walking reminder that the “trash business” can actually be a gold mine. She joined us fresh off launching Velvet Fold—a wash-dry-fold service in Newtown/Yardley—while still running Redbox+ Dumpsters of BucksMont.

We get into all of it:

• What it’s really like owning a dumpster franchise

• How a truck breakdown on day one tested her resilience

• The Marie Kondo moment that led to starting Velvet Fold

• Managing chaos (and kids) while still betting on yourself

If you’ve ever thought, “Life’s hard… so let’s make it harder,” this one’s for you. Jess keeps it real—and proves you can leverage chaos into something amazing.

Check out what she’s building:
redboxplus.com/bucks-county
velvetfold.com

Because your mornings shouldn’t start in chaos—and neither should your mindset.

This week, we’re sitting down with Mihika Patel, founder of 1 Mighty Mama, who launched her business in the wake of a deeply personal loss. Mihika shares how she retrained her brain to build habits that stick, the systems she put in place to create structure without burnout, and why emotional resilience was her most important startup capital.

We dive into:

• The power of “tricking” yourself into healthy habits

• What it really means to burn the boats and go all in

• How to create more time—without the guilt

• Turning chaos into clarity (especially in motherhood)

This one’s for the founders, the moms, and anyone ready to reset their mindset and build something mighty.

Explore Mihika’s work at 1mightymama.com
Follow us @mindingourbusinesspod for more founder fuel.

Andrew Ibrahim didn’t follow a blueprint—he broke one. Born in Bristol, PA to Egyptian immigrant parents, Andrew grew up under the pressure of expectation and the shadow of a phrase that never left him: “Without money, you’re nothing.” At just 12, he was already chasing financial security, shoveling driveways and grinding through landscaping jobs—fueled by fear, not freedom.

But life had other lessons in store.

In this raw, honest episode, Andrew opens up about the cultural weight of being first-gen, the heartbreak of being told his dreams weren’t valid, and how hitting rock bottom—even facing homelessness—showed him what real love and real resilience actually look like. From family estrangement to finding his way back, from wanting to be an artist to finding success on his own terms, Andrew’s story is both sobering and wildly inspiring.

We talk Forrest Gump (yep), building belief through community, and why showing up—even when the boat is empty—is sometimes the most powerful move you can make.

Andrew also shares how he turned a past full of “regular jobs”—retail, management, real estate, financial advising—into AI Himself, a real estate consulting and creative financing business designed to help others do the same: break cycles, build solutions, and bet on themselves.

If you’re rebuilding from the bottom, questioning your path, or quietly sitting on a dream—this episode is for you.

🔗 Work with Andrew at WorkWithAiHimself.com