A LOT with Audra

What does it actually look like to shed the roles, rules, and expectations that no longer fit — and build something entirely your own? That's exactly what Amanda Mulsow did when she turned 40 in the middle of a global pandemic, a personal health crisis, and a mental health emergency with her daughter. Instead of falling apart, she chose a word, created a mantra, and started rewriting the story she had been living by for decades. Amanda is the founder of Grit Marketing and Strategy, a full-service agency helping small and local businesses grow through intentional, strategic marketing. Her story is one of unbecoming — and becoming more fully herself in the process.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Amanda's word of the year for 2020 was "life giving" — chosen before the world shut down, it turned out to be exactly what she needed
• She developed the mantra "No F*cks at 40" as a declaration to stop living for other people's opinions and expectations
• How COVID became an unexpected reset and opportunity for deep personal growth and self-investment
• The power of building your tribe — why community is the second lever alongside personal development
• A peer resource specialist's advice that changed Amanda's inner dialogue: "You would never talk to anybody else the way you talk to yourself"
• Why a solo retreat is one of the most powerful tools for quieting outside voices and getting clear on who you are and where you want to go
• Amanda's MS diagnosis in 2017 and how it forced her to finally prioritize rest and recovery
• The farm upbringing that ingrained "always be productive" — and the leaders who helped her unlearn it
• How three friends in one week told her she had "grit" — and how that became the foundation of her business name and brand
• GRIT as an acronym: Growth Requires Intention and Tenacity
• Why starting her own agency gave her deeper empathy for her clients and made her feel lighter, happier, and more confident
• The value of embracing an experimental mindset: "I don't fail — I learn"
• Perfectionism as a daily practice to rewrite — and why embracing a hobby you're bad at (hello, golf and watercolors) is a surprisingly powerful tool

CHAPTERS

0:00 – Introduction
1:03 – Meet Amanda Mulsow
2:21 – Turning 40 in Chaos
4:05 – Life Giving Boundaries
5:09 – COVID Reset and Growth
10:33 – No F*cks at 40
13:24 – Quieting Outside Voices
17:49 – Rewrite the Rules
20:45 – Pressure on High Achievers
21:47 – Motherhood and Boundaries
22:58 – Modeling Rest for Kids
24:07 – Blocking Time to Recharge
26:28 – Starting Grit Marketing
29:15 – Rebrand and Upleveling
30:02 – Live Boldly, Take Risks
33:15 – New Identity as Owner
34:51 – Failure, Learning, and Regret
38:39 – Rewriting Perfectionism
39:44 – Hobbies That Teach Imperfection
41:16 – Closing Thanks and Goodbye

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• The Hive (https://thehivewichita.com/) — the women's community Amanda joined during COVID for connection and support
• Grit Marketing and Strategy (https://gritmarketingks.net/) — Amanda's full-service marketing agency for small and local businesses

Want to learn more?
The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

Are you waiting for permission to chase what makes you come alive? Maybe you've convinced yourself you need more time, more certainty, or more proof that your curiosity is worth following. But what if the real work isn't in achieving—it's in cultivating the conditions for growth?
Kelly Jackson Crabb, author of Beyond the Bloom, joins me to talk about courage, second chances, and the messy beauty of blooming right where you are. Through the lens of her cut flower garden, Kelly shares hard-won lessons about brave starts, the pressure to always be productive, and why slowing down might be the most radical act of all.

Highlights

• Why Beyond the Bloom is part memoir, part pep talk—and definitely not just a gardening book
• The emotive response that became Kelly's breadcrumb to starting a cut flower garden
• How turning 50 shifted Kelly's relationship with "shoulds" and freed up energy for what truly matters
• What we lose when we tie our worth to being in bloom all the time (hint: our humanity)
• The surprising introvert revelation that changed how Kelly shows up in relationships
• Why cultivating your life is more about preparing the soil than forcing the bloom
• Kelly's decade travel tradition and the sacred significance of seeing monarch butterflies in Mexico
• The permission to try things simply because they make you come alive—even if you're bad at them

Chapters

[0:00] Introduction
[1:04] Brave Starts Quote
[3:16] What Beyond the Bloom Is
[5:38] Why She Wrote It
[9:40] Curiosity Versus Distraction
[12:19] Pressure to Always Bloom
[17:01] Goals and Cultivating Life
[19:20] Letting Go of Shoulds
[25:52] Slowing Down and Success
[28:30] 50th Birthday Monarch Trip
[31:18] Decade Travel Reflections
[33:15] Final Takeaways and Where to Find Her

Resources

• Beyond the Bloom by Kelly Jackson Crabb
• The Lost Kitchen with Erin French

Connect with Kelly Jackson Crab:
Instagram: @IamKellyCrabb
LinkedIn: Kelly Jackson Crabb
Want to learn more?
The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

Are you speeding up or slowing down? That simple question from a fellow entrepreneur mama stopped me in my tracks and sparked something big. We're either pushing the gas pedal, hitting the brakes, or keeping things on cruise control—but here's what nobody tells you about growth: it's supposed to feel uncomfortable. That pit in your stomach? The sweaty palms before you hit publish? Those aren't red flags—they're green ones. I'm sharing why I carry deodorant everywhere (seriously), what my 80-year-old self taught me about courage, and how to pace your growth without burning out. Because growth isn't about becoming someone else—it's about becoming more fully who you were created to be.

Highlights

• A chance encounter sparked a powerful question: Are you speeding up or slowing down this year?
• Why discomfort is actually a green flag for growth, not a red one
• The importance of building "one sweaty moment" into your week
• How to balance growth with recovery based on your capacity
• The Santa Fe retreat experience and learning about emotional agility
• Why asking "What would my 80-year-old self want me to do?" changes everything
• Growth makes us feel alive, but we don't have to grow in every season

Chapters

0:00 - Speed Up or Slow Down
1:43 - Why We Crave Growth
3:28 - Discomfort Is a Green Flag
5:28 - Create One Sweaty Moment
6:21 - Pace Growth and Recovery
9:28 - Santa Fe and Emotional Agility
11:32 - Ask Your 80 Year Old Self

Want to learn more?
The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What happens when your five-year-old asks, "When can you retire?" and it forces you to reconsider everything? Today's guest, Bryan Steele—the producer of this podcast—shares the story of how that single question from his daughter revealed a profound truth: the corporate path he'd carefully followed wasn't creating the life he actually wanted. After 15 years as an aerospace engineer, Bryan found himself building a recording studio in his basement, falling backwards into podcasting, and eventually making the leap to full-time entrepreneurship. We talk about following breadcrumbs from music to recording to podcasting, setting financial milestones before leaving corporate life, and creating the freedom and flexibility he'd been chasing all along. If you're feeling the tension between the life you're living and the life you want, or if you've been ignoring those creative side quests that keep calling to you, you'll want to hear this conversation.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The moment Bryan's daughter asked when he could retire—and how her simple question revealed he needed to change everything about his career path
• Why Bryan built a recording studio in his basement while working full-time as an aerospace engineer
• How Bryan accidentally fell into podcasting through Wichita State basketball in 2014
• The two milestones Bryan and his wife set before he could leave his corporate job: becoming debt-free and building a two-year financial cushion
• Why tearing his ACL delayed Bryan's entrepreneurial leap but didn't stop it
• The 13-year timeline from first creative exploration to full-time business owner
• How Bryan balanced side hustle work while staying present for coaching his kids' sports teams
• The "putting ideas in amber" strategy for managing creative distractions without losing focus

CHAPTERS

[1:03] Introduction and Welcome
[1:53] Engineering Success Path
[3:46] Big Company Machine
[4:46] Redefining Success
[6:24] Values Misalignment
[8:58] Creative Roots Return
[9:42] Basement Studio Side Hustle
[10:50] Falling Into Podcasting
[12:45] Breadcrumbs To Business
[14:33] Daughter's Retirement Question
[18:04] Building Time Boundaries
[20:31] Outsourcing And Support
[21:50] Outsourcing Home Tasks
[22:12] Debt Free Milestones
[24:03] Building a Safety Net
[25:25] Torn ACL Setback
[27:21] From Studio to Full Time
[29:19] Following Breadcrumbs
[30:52] Ideas in Amber Method
[32:17] Launching Side Hustle Dad
[34:15] Why It's for Dads
[35:17] Mindset Strategy Tactics
[35:47] Where to Listen and Wrap Up

RESOURCES

• The Side Hustle Dad Podcast - Bryan's new podcast launching to help dads create flexibility and freedom through side businesses; www.thesidehustle.dad
• Forge Podcast Co. - Bryan's podcast production company; www.forgepodcast.co

Want to learn more?
The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if the key to lasting success isn't perfect execution, but a willingness to experiment and iterate? As entrepreneurs, we're constantly bombarded with advice—some brilliant, some misaligned—and it can feel overwhelming to know which path to take. I'm sharing the mindset shifts that have helped me navigate the uncertainty, the comparison traps, and those moments when you're standing at the edge, wondering if you should keep going or burn it all down. This is about building something that feels aligned with who you are, not just impressive on paper.

Highlights

• Entrepreneurship is an experiment, not a performance—mistakes become data, not shame
• "Good" advice isn't always the right advice for you; alignment matters more than credentials
• Stop abandoning your strengths in pursuit of someone else's version of success
• The edge is where growth lives, but you need self-awareness to navigate it safely
• Surround yourself with "wow people" who expand your vision, not just "how people" who focus on logistics
• Identity expansion is the real work—becoming someone who can take risks and adjust in real time
• Joy isn't at the finish line; it's in the messy, brave journey of becoming

Chapters

[0:00] Introduction
[1:02] Entrepreneurship as Experiment
[2:17] Iterate Not Inconsistent
[2:39] Advice Is About Fit
[4:50] Stop Abandoning Your Strengths
[6:46] Finding Your Edge
[7:54] How People vs Wow People
[9:56] Identity Expansion and Bravery
[10:40] Resilience Contract Closing

Want to learn more?
The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.