Actually, I Can.

Founders are surrounded by advice. Coaches, consultants, advisors, podcasts, books, boards, mentors—the list goes on. But what happens when the people giving you advice don't actually know your business, your customers, or what it takes to live with the decisions you're making every day? In this episode of Actually I Can, Lindsay Tjepkema sits down with Dale Dupree, founder of The Sales Rebellion,...

For founders, “just hustle harder” can sound like the ultimate formula for success. Work longer. Push through. Do more. Figure it out. But what happens when hustle stops creating momentum—and starts creating diminishing returns? In this episode of Actually I Can, Lindsay Tjepkema sits down with Jennie Blumenthal, CEO of Corporate Rehab Leadership, to challenge one of the most deeply ingrained piec...

What if the advice to “find work-life balance” is actually making you feel like you’re doing something wrong? In this episode of Actually, I Can., Lindsay Tjepkema sits down with Hope Horner, founder and CEO of Lemonlight, to unpack one of the most common pieces of advice founders hear: that success requires maintaining a healthy balance between work and life. For Hope, that advice created more gu...

In this episode of "Actually I Can," host Lindsay Tjepkema sits down with leadership coach Steven “Shed” Shedletsky to unpack a piece of bad advice that taught him a powerful lesson about toxic positivity, organizational politics, and the importance of speaking up. Shed shares how he was once encouraged to coach a team member by deflecting an interpersonal problem with the advice, “Enoug...

What if the reason you haven't started isn't because you're not ready—but because you're waiting for a story that proves you deserve to? In this episode of Actually I Can , host Lindsay Tjepkema talks with Monica Stewart, CEO of MSP Consulting, about the advice that kept her from starting her business: that she needed a "hero story" to establish her expertise. Monica...

We've all heard the advice: wake up at 5 a.m., time-block every minute, and stick to a rigid routine if you want to be successful. But what if that advice is actually holding you back? In this episode of Actually I Can , Lindsay Tjepkema sits down with Jen Spencer, Chief Growth Officer at Booth and author of Lead Anyway , to unpack why one-size-fits-all productivity advice doesn't work f...

There are few pieces of career advice more damaging than the idea that success requires sacrifice. For Sam Yarbrough, that message came during a job interview. When she explained that she was committed to both her career and her family, she was told, "Well...you chose to work." It was a mindset she'd encounter again and again—that ambitious professionals, especially working moms, sh...

When Kristi Candela started building BeeCene, she thought she already knew the first step. Find a technical co-founder. It wasn't just advice she heard once. It was embedded in startup culture. Investors asked about it. Accelerator applications reinforced it. Other founders repeated it. Everywhere she turned, the message was the same: if you weren't technical, you needed someone who was...

When Leslie Venetz decided to leave a successful corporate sales career and start her own business, she expected people to have opinions. She didn't expect so many of those opinions to sound exactly the same. If you're going to start a company, they told her, it needs to scale. You need employees. You need growth. You need a bigger vision. Otherwise, what's the point? The advice cam...

Stella Garber has been told her whole life that she is too direct. Too bossy. Too aggressive. She heard it as a kid. She heard it as a young manager. She’s heard it her entire career. And she’s spent years wondering whether she’d be getting that feedback at all if she were a man. Her answer: absolutely not. Stella is a repeat founder and the co-founder and CEO of Hoop, an AI customer support agent...

Joy Hoover invented a lipstick with a panic button in the base and a drink-testing strip in the cap. She built a national nonprofit from nothing over 12 years that landed in the top 10% in the country. She won Top Tech of the Year in 2024. And when she decided to run for Congress - going up against a 14-year incumbent in a district that hasn’t flipped since 1972 - the people around her told her it...

Scott Leese’s first sales manager pulled him into his office, looked him dead in the eye, and told him to stop caring so much about his people. Stop going to lunch with them. Stop being their friend. Draw a harder line. Then he said something that has lived rent-free in Scott’s head for over 20 years: “Scotty’s little sales club is never gonna work.” Scott didn’t listen. He built his teams the way...

During COVID, Brooke Sellas posted something honest on Instagram - two words: “I am so tired.” She wasn’t complaining. She was being human. The mentor she’d hired to help her build her personal brand told her it was a mistake. Leaders only show the good parts, they said. Brooke almost believed it. Brooke is the founder and CEO of B Squared Media, a social media agency she bootstrapped - with no fu...

Katie Robbert has been told to stay quiet, stay in her lane, and let someone else be the face of the company. She heard it from a mentor she respected. She heard it from investors. She heard it so many times she almost believed it. She didn’t.  Katie is the CEO of Trust Insights, an AI education and analytics firm she co-founded eight years ago. And she holds that title deliberately, because someo...

Ted Harrison has heard the advice a hundred times: negotiate everything, ask for the friends and family discount, don’t spend what you don’t have to. He heard it from other agency founders. From coaches. From people who have genuinely built successful businesses. He thought about it, and then he emailed a vendor to ask them to charge him more. That’s not a bit. That’s just how Ted builds. The foun...

Nomiki Petrolla gets told to think smaller. A venture contact - someone who didn’t know her well enough - looked at her vision for Theanna and decided the problem she’s solving is probably just a “lifestyle business.” Nomiki, who has been obsessively building for 15 years, collecting data points and ignoring the noise, heard the feedback and thought: no thanks. Then she moved on. What you'll...

Alina Vandenberghe gets asked constantly: "Why don't you seek an exit?" In CEO communities, at events, from advisors, the assumption is always that a $3 billion exit is the ultimate goal every founder should pursue. She's been building Chili Piper for a decade. She's not selling. What you'll learn: Why the standard exit advice completely misses the point for values-dr...

Actually, I Can is a show for founders who are tired of being told how they’re supposed to bring their vision to life. Every episode focuses on guidance the guest received that turned out to be terrible advice for them as a founder. Host Lindsay Tjepkema talks with founders about these moments, how they responded to them, and what happened because of it. These are not origin stories or victory lap...

What does it look like to build something that companies aren't ready for? Justin Clifford is the CEO of Bereave, a company helping organizations navigate death, bereavement, and grief support in the workplace. Justin opens up about what it’s like to lead a “death tech” company, the resistance he’s faced, and how he’s building a platform that changes the way we're supported through loss....

What if the path you’re on isn’t the one you’re meant to stay on? Fabian Rodriguez opens up about the power of letting go of outdated definitions of success, the invisible toll of constantly trying to “prove” yourself, and the freedom that comes from finally asking: What do I want? From golden handcuffs to questioning the definition of "dream life," this episode is a reminder that you ha...

What if the version of your life that feels “off course” is actually the one that leads you exactly where you’re meant to go? Coach, creative, and former attorney Kelly Ramsdell (the powerhouse behind another business called Actually I Can ) unpacks how to stop "shoulding" all over yourself, why no path is ever wasted, and how self-love and nervous system regulation are non-negotiables f...

What do the military, marketing, and murder mysteries have in common? According to Ian Faison, everything. Founder and CEO of Caspian Studios, Ian reminds us that creativity belongs in ever boardroom. His unwavering belief that B2B content doesn't have to be boring has redefined what is possible in business storytelling, even while swimming in a sea of skepticism.   Whether you’re a marketer,...

What if the next chapter, the next business, or the next pivot could start at 40? Social media strategist and coach Dorien Morin sits down to remind us that it's never too late to start over and build something new. From the power of naiveté to what it really means to be visible, she shares that the best coaches are the ones who become the person they once needed. If you've ever doubted...

What if the secret to sustained success isn't more hustle but better energy? Adam Barney, energy coach and author of Make Your Own Glass Half Full, shares his own journey of being laid off twice during his career, the loss of his mother, volunteering post-Hurricane Katrina, and talking with thousands of founders.  This conversation uncovers the value of protecting your most important resource...

What if building a meaningful career wasn’t about choosing one path but weaving together many? From Google to Alaska to co-founding a startup, Melissa Moody shares what it takes to walk away from the expected and build something on your own terms through the messy, rewarding journey of entrepreneurship, life pivots, and human-first marketing. This episode is a masterclass in embracing change, hono...