None of Your Business 3h3hi

This episode has been a long time coming. I’m ed by one of my favorite people in the world—Kim, who happens to be a Experience Program Manager at Google. I may have slightly bullied her into doing this, the same way I scammed her into being a bridesmaid at my wedding. Kim leads the cross-functional research efforts for DORA (yes, that DORA report) and manages research initiatives under Google Cloud. But before she became the boss lady she is now, she and I were teammates on the college debate team. We talk about how debate shaped our careers, our communication styles, and our ability to survive—and even thrive—in high-pressure environments. We share our most embarrassing tournament memories, how debate gave us the confidence to speak on stage and lead teams, and why the skills we learned as students are still paying off today. What We Talked About Why debate is the ultimate crash course in public speaking and critical thinking The skills from debate that help in corporate leadership, entrepreneurship, and sales Why confidence sometimes just looks like pushing through with butterflies in your stomach Funny stories from our debate failures (spoiler: someone misunderstood what “embargo” meant) Lessons in stamina, prep, and how debate tournaments are mental marathons The difference between persuasion and substance—and how you need both to lead effectively What happens when you have to argue for a side you don’t agree with How these skills make you sharper at work, in business, and in life If you have a kid—or know someone—consider encouraging them to a debate team. It’s not just for nerds or aspiring lawyers. It’s a serious skill builder that opens doors, builds confidence, and gives you lifelong advantages. Whether you're heading into business or climbing the corporate ladder, debate can make all the difference. Also, starting this month, None of Your Business will shift from weekly to monthly episodes. I’ll be focusing some energy on launching a new podcast for location-independent business owners. But don’t worry, this show isn’t going anywhere—it’s just pacing itself better, the same way we learned to do in debate. Let's connect: Instagram: @karlastefan Website: karlasingson.com

Let’s be real: the economy isn’t exactly throwing us a party right now. Groceries are up, essentials are feeling like luxuries, and even the most seasoned entrepreneurs are asking: What now? In this episode, I sit down with two of my favorite humans—Martin and Chelsea Matthews—to talk about what online entrepreneurs need to know as we move through (and maybe already in) a recession. Martin and Chelsea are financial educators, business owners, authors of Let’s Fight About Money, and founders of M Wealth Group, a financial consulting, investment, and insurance agency that helps people build “unbreakable finances.” They’ve worked with clients in 48 states, and they bring both strategy and heart into every conversation around money. What We Talked About: ✅ How to build an emergency fund (even if you’re starting from zero) ✅ Why investing in your own business may be smarter than buying stocks ✅ The mindset shift entrepreneurs need to make in uncertain times ✅ How couples can stay aligned financially (even if one loves risk and the other doesn’t) ✅ Weekly and daily money rituals that help keep your household and business stable ✅ Talking to your team about tough financial seasons without causing panic ✅ Teaching your kids about money without trauma or lectures Grab a free copy of their book Let’s Fight About Money: letsfightaboutmoney.com/ebook Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/karlastefan

I'm BACK from my season break! Hope you didn't miss me too much. Here are some updates from being in Asia for five months, my top wedding tips, and a quick story on getting back to work and finding our next home in Mexico.    Would love to hear from you! :) What did you think of this episode?    Find me on Instagram. Find me on Facebook.

If you’re someone who lights up at the smell of a simmering pot or feels nostalgic over a childhood snack, this episode is for you. Today, I sit down with the amazing Rosemary Kimani, co-founder of Authentic Food Quest—a platform dedicated to connecting travelers with cultures through local food and immersive cooking vacations. Since 2015, she and her partner Claire have explored the cuisine of 45 countries and over 290 food cities, spotlighting the kind of culinary experiences that go far beyond what's on the plate. We talked about everything—from soul-warming tomato stews in Argentina, surprise snail dinners in Vietnam, to the simple snack that bonded me with my mom. But more than just food, this episode dives into how meals open doors to connection, understanding, and even business growth. In this episode, we covered: Why food is never just food—it’s emotion, memory, culture, and connection How to deepen travel experiences by choosing what’s truly local How food melts walls in business settings and helps build real trust 3 food tourism trends you can use in your own business: authenticity, sustainability, and wellness The power of storytelling (even a $10 chocolate bar can go a long way) Why entrepreneurs should celebrate local culture through food—whether you're hosting clients, motivating a team, or building brand identity And if you’re someone who’s been dreaming of that once-in-a-lifetime foodie adventure, Rose shared all about Authentic Food Quest’s immersive cooking vacations in Italy and Greece. Think: homemade pasta with a real Italian nonna, cheese-making in the countryside, wine tastings, and dancing in the moonlight. Um—yes, please. This episode might just convince you to try that unpronounceable dish, recreate a family recipe, or book a food trip of a lifetime. And if you’ve been looking for a unique incentive trip for your team, a food quest might just be the answer. Share this episode with your foodie friends or your work bestie—especially if you’re dreaming of an unforgettable bite abroad.

Today, I’m sharing all the unexpected lessons I learned from ing my first-ever golf tournament—with my husband. If you’ve ever thought about working with your spouse, cooking together, or picking up a hobby as a couple, this episode is for you. But let’s take it up a notch—how about competing together? Let me tell you, it was a ride. This episode is packed with: ️‍♀️ The one thing that threw off our entire tournament experience—and how we recovered ⚖️ Why balancing emotions in a relationship (especially during high-stress moments) is everything The hidden connection between optimism, energy, and winning at life (and business!) Why stamina matters more than skill in competitions—and how I learned this the hard way The simplest mindset shift that helped me stay focused and actually play better The power of community and why you should always connect with the people you meet in competitions And the best part—how all of this made me love my husband (and our life together) even more It was exhausting, exhilarating, and honestly, so much fun. And even if you’re not into golf, I hope this episode inspires you to try something competitive with your partner—whether it’s a friendly board game, a cooking contest, or, who knows, maybe even an Ironman (okay, probably not). Let me know what you think! Have you ever competed in something with your partner? DM me on Instagram—I’d love to hear your thoughts.

As the new year rolls around, we are always faced with this sense of a fresh start. Optimism. New goals. New challenges. Somehow a better version of ourselves.    A few years have ed, and unfortunately we’ve also seen ourselves drift from who we intended to be. In fact, studies have shown that by January 17, most people already failed their “New Year’s Resolutions”.   What is up with this? After a while, I quit asking myself that, and sought the help of someone smarter than me. :)    Enter Josh Froc. Most young kids, around 5 years old, go through a (very annoying) phase of asking “why”. Over, and over, and over.    Josh never stopped. Today, he’s a certified Positive Intelligence Coach, and he helps people understand what motivates them, and what matters to them. He has spent years studying habit formation and behavioural change, and is hugely influenced by Dr. Benjamin Hardy. One of the problems he most loves to help with, is the secret anxiety that drives many high performers to be great- and turn that into the joy of challenge.    In this podcast episode, we discussed how most entrepreneurs treat the New Year in of goal setting, motivation, and perseverance. We talked about…   How entrepreneurs usually like going fast, always love to find the shortest way to go somewhere, and they always focus on moving forward, forgetting one very important thing…  Easy tricks to tick things off your to do box, whether it’s a day’s to-do list or a lifelong bucket list  Two strategies for starting the year with a positive mindset no matter what happened last year The surprising illustration of the scale of the human consciousness, and how you can use this to “demand feeling better” His best advice for overcoming resistance to new goals (and blaming the busy-ness of life) The simplest thing people almost never do, but is so useful…. When it comes to goal setting The power of vision x affirmation x ability   Over the last 3 years Josh has run a morning club for entrepreneurs, starting at 5AM and helping them get clear on what matters, and start the day with positive momentum.    Get in touch with Josh and check out his 5-day Challenge, where you create a vision for your future that pulls your forward and identify with your future self. He also hosts the “Slow Productivity Club”, a mastermind group of entrepreneurs that is able, and starts the day right with momentum. Check out his work or connect with Josh directly here: https://www.instagram.com/mindshiftcoach_/

Helping Men Quit Porn and Other Vices with Devin McDermott

What if you are 100% intentional on where you build your home, grow your business, and live your life? My views on picking a great home and deg it properly gave me a huge business breakthrough in 2017.  Listen to this episode to hear the story of how I tripled my income within 90 days of moving to a different home, and all my realizations from moving to different homes, in different countries, and different stages of my life.  If you like this episode, let me know on Instagram or Threads! :) @karlastefan

Burnout may be an overused or misused word in the entrepreneur world. However, it’s a glaring ambulance siren that needs to be paid attention to.  When someone is risking burnout in what they’re doing, they need to know what to do and how to process it right. Trust me– I’m a serial entrepreneur, and while I do love the hustle, I’ve burnt out too many times which led me to lead a softer, more spacious life right now. The secret? The right knowledge, the right tools, and of course, high level outsourcing.  Outside outsourcing (my expertise), I sit with another expert in business growth and burnouts.  After researching the connection between 'ADHD', 'Burnout' and 'Flow' Jamie developed a coaching program called 'Flowjo' which helps ADHD founders to cure burnout, harness their ADHD superpowers, and start flowing towards their goals. Jamie was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and has burnt out three times in his career - once as a professional tennis player, and twice as a business owner. He has used this experience as fuel to pursue his ion in solving one of entrepreneurs’ biggest challenges: burnout. Jamie Toyne is also the Author of the 'Pressure Gauge Mindset' and Founder of two other companies called Dealflow and Exitplanr, that helped more than 400 entrepreneurs successfully exit their business. In his 13+ years of coaching business owners, he has clarified a lot of things for me in this podcast. Check out some highlights…. How you know if the “juice is worth the squeeze” and if you’re working towards a goal without burnout  What is burnout, really? And how can we avoid it? A deep discussion on the STATE OF FLOW, and what can we do to find this and exercise it more often in our lives  Important factors that lead to business exits (we reveal 6/7 in this podcast episode!) Myths and surprising facts about burnout that not a lot of entrepreneurs know Of ADHD and how most entrepreneurs navigate this diagnosis while running and growing businesses  This podcast episode was such an eye opener for me. Even though I would consider myself an expert in delegation, outsourcing, and leadership, there were still blind spots for me in of fully understanding burnout and flow.  For Jamie, thank you for sitting with me and fleshing this out.  For our listeners, I highly encourage you to check out Jamie’s FREE DIAGNOSTIC TOOL: Flowjo.    Flowjo Finder is a diagnostic tool that measures your level of flow versus burnout, identifying specific blockers you can remove to start flowing towards your goals. Diagnostic Tool Link: https://www.jamietoyne.com/flowjo-finder   If you need expert help working through burnout, I recommend checking out Jamie’s 12-week coaching program, that helps entrepreneurs with ADHD harness their superpower to make scaling their business faster, easier, and a lot more fun. Here’s the program link.

My biggest business investment this year was our company retreat. I flew in my management team to Davao, Philippines (where I was visiting family for a few months) and we hired professionals to create a great experience for us.    It was 4 days of fun, food, friendship, and growth. In this podcast, I discuss my best tips and learnings from my long career in event management, and my even longer career in entrepreneurship.    Highlights:  Planning for two best kinds of skills training  How to embody core values in your activities Professional hires that made this experience seamless Tips in choosing activities that will mean a lot for your team  Learn how you can 10x ROI your next company retreat….especially if you’re running a fully online or fully remote business.    Thoughts, ideas, or need advice? DM me on Instagram - @karlastefan.  (Note: I have limited slots for a 1:1 consult, and I’m not selling this actively)

As busy entrepreneurs, we often forget to ask ourselves some of life’s most important questions.  One of these questions being… what is our life purpose, and how important is it? In this episode, business consultant and customer success pro Bob Mathers sits down with me to do a deep dive into:  What does purpose mean to you, how do you shape it? When was the first time we asked ourselves this question? What we think of having “something that transcends us” What is the opposite of “having a purpose”? What we think stops people from finding their purpose in life What he learned from a hospice nurse…about life and regrets What we think is the ONE THING that makes life better This was such a soul-filling conversation and experience, and my only wish is that you also share this with someone you care about.  Follow Bob on LinkedIn. Check out Bob’s work in business consulting and customer success.

Here’s a long-ish story on how I got into loving poetry, how it helped me gain confidence in public speaking at a young age, how it helped me sharpen my copy, how it helped me do millions of dollars in sales, my short stint as a performance poet, getting published in an international anthology, and as a bonus… me reading some of my favorite poems.  Hope you enjoy this as much as I did recording it! :) If you need a reason to love poetry again, here it is.  Send me your favorite poems on Instagram: @karlastefan.

Before you even think about WHAT to invest in, or how much, or when….there’s a more important question that you have to answer: Who are you as a financial individual" on Instagram @melissalindsayfreedman.  (Disclaimer: Everything we share on the podcast is NOT financial advice. Moreover, this episode is not an official endorsement for any service or product endorsed or mentioned on the podcast.)

Yes, I had a lot of successes. But I also had a lot of failures in my life.  Sit with me, get your cup of tea, and walk with me through my business and personal failures, and my best lessons in getting over them.  Highlights:  Learn how to instill confidence in yourself  One unique way to fundraise for your company  What I think is the best business asset How to manage energetic fairness when asking for favors  The perfect mindset about failure, so you can keep going, despite everything  I also posted this on Youtube if you want to check out the visual aid. This was a talk I delivered at the 250-person conference at DC Mexico this year.  Got something to share about this episode? Message me on Instagram at @karlastefan

This guy started his own bakery during his senior year in college. Threw a party in New York with over 2,000 people. Became a consultant at Deloitte. Moved to Miami, now helping business owners build million dollar machines. Of course I had to talk to him.  In this podcast episode, Ernesto Mandowsky, Founder of MDM, a training firm that transforms businesses into Million Dollar Machines, shares his message about networking that’s not sleazy. Networking that is intentional. Networking that helps you grow.  Episode highlights:  ONE THING that you can do to make sure that you get ed in your goal Lesser known tips about networking in person and online  Advice on how to create memorable networking events Outside of work, Ernesto enjoys reading, baking challah bread, working out, and spending time with his wife in Miami, FL. Follow Ernesto on Linkedin here. Check out Million Dollar Machine here.

Well, the title says it all. Check out this episode for the Top 10 mistakes that Founders make when they Outsource on their Own.  I’ve been in this industry for almost a decade and I’ve seen Founders make these mistakes over and over again when they choose to do DIY outsourcing. Of course, before they come to us. There’s tons of nuances that go into it, and in this podcast, I share it all. This is a juicy behind-the-scenes episode, brought only by someone with our experience of hiring 500+ VAs, managers, and team , and helping hundreds of clients over the years.  I love talking about this topic because it helps me help Founders in our pursuit of living life and doing business on our own . That’s my vibe, always. And I’ll always root for you! When you’re ready for some pros to get you out of this rut though, check out how you can grow your online business fast and easy with managed outsourcing here.

When we spend money at a service, a product, or an establishment, we have a baseline expectation on how we are treated as a customer.  However, we have certain experiences with companies that just blew us away. Swept us off our feet. Made us give 10 stars on a 5-star scale. And this is better than whirlwind romance, it’s lifetime customer loyalty brewing. In this podcast episode, I hung out with Alex Booth, CEO and Founder of Huckleberry Consulting, a Customer Success Consulting firm, to discuss our favorite stories of exceptional customer experiences.  Check out a few well-loved brands that you know about, and check out new ones that are ready to delight you.  *** Alex Booth is the Founder of Huckleberry Consulting, a customer success consulting firm that helps fast-growth online businesses grow through better retention, loyalty, improved CS metrics, and customer-focused programs. He also co-owns GetCSM.com, a high level Customer Success/ Client Success Recruitment firm that serves clients all over the world. GetCSM gives you access to talented CSMs for as low as $17/ an hour, fully managed and certified.  Check out Alex’s best work on his Linkedin. Or visit his website and CLAIM a free consult for how to make more money with your clients through improved customer success.

Raise your hand if you feel like you’ve been around some “scammy” business coaches. You see red flags all over their social media profile, you have seen them gaslight some of their clients, and like an occasional shooting star, you see some of their posts don’t make sense. (Surprise! They are lying.) Though there are a TON of wonderful, qualified, good-intention business coaches around, it’s sad to see some very talented grifters the space. In this podcast episode, I sit with Filipi Sardi, an online entrepreneur from Croatia who has worked with both good and bad coaches, and proceeds to serve this industry by ing coaches who actually care about the people they serve.  You’ve seen it all… but we’re still here to break it down for ya. Check out some highlights:  Dangerous coaching advice.. Like “fake it til you make it”, and “you only need to be one step ahead” Outright lying, photoshopped screenshots and wild oversimplifications just to show off a different lifestyle (Bonus: all the coaches who say they CAN retire now or are retiring soon? After 5 years they’re still on the same grift!) Repackaging and selling the same old videos over and over, covering up with shiny marketing  Wrongfully taking credit over past results of clients, using privilege for achieving “wins” Predatory upselling and cross selling, bulletproof refund policies, advertising “access” to a coach but only get their VAs, overselling containers, and coaches dropping their enthusiasm after you’ve purchased Oh, this is one juicy episode. And if you know a coach or someone who is thinking about hiring a business coach, definitely share this episode with them. They will thank you later.  *** Fili Sardi runs CoachinFlow.com, a global consultancy where he empowers coaches and online entrepreneurs to uplevel their business by delivering exceptional client experience, which, in turn, improves their client lifetime customer value.  Check out his work at CoachInFlow.com or follow him on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sardifilip/

How to Hustle Hard and Still Have Fun with April Dawn

What is it really like to shift careers? When you’re “older”? After a decade of commitment to one career? Maybe eight years of college education? And a lifetime of parents and society’s expectations? In this podcast episode, I sit with Chemical Engineer turned full time content marketer and entrepreneur, Farrah Garcia. After spending years working in a petrochemical plant, she made the bold decision to shift from chemical engineering to content marketing.  She shares about influences around her, the easiest and most difficult part of shifting careers, surprising considerations she had to take into place, and her best advice for people who may find themselves at these crossroads. Today she uses her science-driven mind, and love for engaging storytelling to help Founders, entrepreneurs, and B2B brands craft impactful, authentic content that drives brand strength and profit. Her focus areas include corporate copywriting, LinkedIn, and Twitter content. Follow Farah’s adventures here.