Natalie built a wildly recognizable beauty brand, raised $13 million, got it into major retail, and still came away with the same uncomfortable realization a lot of founders quietly have: the number in the headline and the money you actually feel are not the same thing.

This isn’t a Cinderella story. It’s what happens when a smart founder tells the truth about money, control, and what an exit actually feels like after the applause stops.

01:09 Meet Natalie Mackey

02:44 The Pivot That Changed Everything

05:15 Why Beauty Breaks E-Commerce Rules

07:25 The Product That Took Off Overnight

08:09 Fundraising Is Timing, Not Talent

13:06 The Decision to Sell Instead

18:22 The Truth About “Winning” an Exit

19:07 Why the Second Time Feels Different

20:38 AI Is Giving New Founders an Edge

21:30 Losing the “Founder” Identity

24:45 The Pressure to Do It Again

26:33 Why You Just Have to Start

28:00 Money, Risk, and Never Feeling Safe

30:18 The Traits That Actually Matter

In this episode of The Exit Whisperer, Carrie sits down with Andrea Johnston, founder of Pure Communications, to unpack what most founders never say out loud: sometimes the business is thriving, the numbers are strong, the offers are real, and you still know it’s time to sell.

They get into building with intention, why niche agencies scale faster than scattered ones, what private equity actually wants, and how to know whether you’re growing a business… or just feeding a machine that no longer fits your life. Andrea also opens up about what she would do differently, why succession planning matters more than founders think, and the hard truth that reacting emotionally will cost you more than almost any bad strategy.

00:54 Meet Andrea Johnston

02:48 Why She Left Corporate to Start Her Agency

04:51 The Gap Between “Starting” and Building a Real Business

05:23 How She Scaled Using Only Her Network

07:27 The Decision to Niche Down

10:31 The Real Growth Engine: Existing Clients

12:15 How Private Equity Entered the Picture

17:38 Inside the Sale Process

18:14 What Actually Changes After You Sell

19:28 How Acquisitions Create Opportunities for Your Team

20:15 The Second Exit: Moving Fast in Private Equity

21:35 Burnout at the Top

25:22 Taking 2 Years Off

28:41 Building “Fuel for Female Founders”

32:24 Final Lessons on Exits, Growth, and Letting Go

In this episode of The Exit Whisperer, Carrie sits down with Lana Powers (founder of Powers PR) to unpack a truth most founders ignore until it’s too late: success can still be the wrong path if it’s killing you to sustain it.

They get into rebuilding a company just to make it sellable, why hitting a peak can be more dangerous than failing, and how founders confuse “being needed” with “being healthy.” Lana also opens up about the aftermath of selling, the second-guessing, the “what if I kept going,” and redefining success beyond revenue, status, or control.

00:56 Meet Lana Powers

02:57 Hitting Rock Bottom As A Founder

03:57 Starting Powers PR From Scratch

05:17 Growing Slowly Into Real Momentum

06:15 Scaling While Pregnant With Twins

10:53 The Reality Of Running A PR Agency

14:58 Burnout In The Wellness Industry

15:54 Rebuilding The Business The Right Way

17:10 The Client That Changed Everything

18:50 Learning To Detach As A Leader

19:37 When Your Body Starts Breaking Down

22:35 How She Chose The Right Buyer

23:58 Life After Selling The Business

27:00 What Success Looks Like Now