The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth

In the very first guest interview of the Ages & Stages series, Molly sits down in person with Carley Kintzle a senior at Iowa State University studying agricultural communications and public relations, a cattle exhibitor, the founder of Wild Orchid Co., and a photographer who picked up a camera… and ran with it. Carley's story is a reminder that you don't have to pick just one lane. From starting...

As we step into a brand new year, this episode opens the Ages & Stages series with a personal reflection from me, Molly. In this solo episode, I looks back across my own life — from childhood curiosity and creativity, to achievement-driven adolescence, to motherhood, entrepreneurship, burnout, and a more grounded, intentional season of leadership. Rather than rushing toward what's next, this episo...

This episode is a little different — and honestly, it might be one of the most important ones I've ever shared. Instead of one long-form interview, you're getting four mini-interviews with women who are quietly (and powerfully) making their communities better — through nonprofit work, community organizing, and the kind of "someone has to do something… so I will" leadership that changes everything....

Whitney Sanger isn't just a nonprofit founder — she's a mother of seven, a Dubuque native, a communications and storytelling pro, and the kind of woman who sees a gap and refuses to accept "that's just how it is" as an answer. In this conversation, Whitney shares the very personal journey that shaped her relationship with food, and how that journey eventually turned into Project Rooted — a nonprof...

This week's episode of The Found Podcast isn't about a flashy brand or a viral business story. It's about a woman you'll probably never see on a billboard, but whose work is changing lives quietly, consistently, and deeply in rural Eastern Iowa. In this episode, Molly sits down with Sarah Palmer, an English Language Learning (ELL) teacher in the Western Dubuque Community School District. For the p...

As we enter December and close out the final month of 2025, this episode brings our year-long exploration of restored, intentional female leadership full circle. We've spent the past twelve months talking about presence, friendship, boundaries, nervous system health, community spaces, and the internal work that helps women lead sustainably. This month, we're turning our attention outward—to the co...

This week on The Found Podcast , we're trading strategy for stories and KPIs for giggle fits. To celebrate Thanksgiving and our November theme of family for the ambitious woman , I invited two of the biggest influences in my life and leadership to join me on the mic: my sister, Jessica Ryan , and my mom, Kathy McAllister . This episode is…unhinged in the best way. We swap stories about handmade Ha...

Today's episode feels extra special — because I finally got to sit down in person with someone I've admired online for months: Mandy Webber of the Wildly Intentional Podcast . She drove from West Branch, Iowa, to my home office in Cascade, and what started as a podcast interview turned into a three-hour, soul-filling conversation about motherhood, homesteading, family culture, learning (and unlear...

This week on The Found Podcast , we're continuing our November series on family — and we're going right into the tender middle: motherhood. Because motherhood changes everything. Your time. Your nervous system. Your calendar. Your priorities. Your sense of self. And if you're an ambitious woman on top of that? It changes the way you define success, too. In this solo episode, I talk honestly about...

Hey listener, welcome back to The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth. November's theme is family — not just the cute-holiday-card kind, but the real, evolving, sometimes-stretchy relationships that ambitious women have to tend to while they're also growing businesses, teams, and impact. Today, I'm pulling back the curtain on one of those relationships: my marriage. This is not a "5 steps to a perfect...

This week on The Found Podcast, we're doing something a little different…and a lot more personal. I finally brought my real-life best friends to the mic — right here around my kitchen table — snacks, beers, belly laughs, squeals, and memories included.  We've been friends for decades — from first kisses to first cars, from weddings to babies, from heartbreaks to hospital rooms. These women are my...

This week on The Found Podcast , we're diving into the heart of friendship — the kind that's rooted in laughter, ritual, and showing up for each other year after year. As ambitious women, it's easy to let work and responsibilities crowd out connection. But our friendships, the chosen families we build, are what keep us grounded, joyful, and human. In this episode, I'm sharing stories of the tradit...

What if the way we move through the world—our energy, awareness, and communication—has the power to shape how others move, too? This week on The Found Podcast , I'm sitting down with Terryn Drieling of The Good Movement Draws Good Movement Podcast to explore what she calls "good movement"—a principle inspired by her life on ranches in the Sandhills of Nebraska and rooted in stockmanship, connectio...

Friendship as an adult can be complicated — especially when you're an ambitious woman balancing work, motherhood, and a full life. That's why this week's guest, Nina Badzin , has spent over a decade studying, writing about, and talking about what makes friendships work (and why they sometimes don't). Nina is the host of the Dear Nina podcast, a Top 1% charted show that's been featured in The Wall...

Okay, real talk: I love my people, but when life gets ambitious, friendship is the first thing that slides off my calendar. Work, kids, and even rest often feel easier to prioritize than grabbing coffee with a friend. But here's what I've learned: friendship isn't optional — it's survival. In this episode, I unpack: Why friendship matters for ambitious women (spoiler: it literally improves your he...

Whether you're just starting out or scaling up, there are certain non-negotiables every ambitious woman in business needs to thrive. These are the logistical foundations that prevent burnout and the mindset shifts that help you play the long game. In this solo episode, Molly shares her personal "Must List"—the tools, systems, and beliefs that have helped her grow and sustain a business while chasi...

Mid-September is here. It offers a fresh start, but the final months of the year are looming. That means Q4 energy is buzzing, but so is the pressure. Which got me wondering...How can we as ambitious women stay motivated without burning out or setting ourselves up for disappointment? In this episode of The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth, we dive into the difference between healthy pressure and har...

This episode's intention: Make a brave choice to do the work and follow the framework to begin the process of re-finding yourself.   In 2018 my daughter, then five, went through a horrible medical event. It is impossible to summarize, but I attempt in this episode.   My community was amazing and rallied around my family during that time. But the hardest part of returning home was running in to wel...

This episode's intention: Be honest with yourself about something you've been actively avoiding.   In April of 2022 I made a huge investment in "the next big thing" that I was hoping meant a huge boon of cash for my business. Rather than investing in a bookkeeper… which I think I knew I needed… I covered by insecurities by investing in an opportunity to make MORE money because that would magically...

This episode's intention: Become aware of the correlation between what you eat with your body cues, energy levels, and mental clarity.   I'm so annoyed that I have to share this episode. But I (unfortunately) have found a huge correlation between what I eat and how I feel. When I fall out of my positive health routines like drinking a lot of water and exercising regularly, I am tense and irritable...

This episode's intention: How can I spend intentional time outdoors to ground myself?   How can we forget the early days of the pandemic? I remember bursting into tears at the thought of leaving my house to pick up a drive-up pizza. So much was uncertain.   I was desperate for activities to keep kids off screens and occupy their brains and bodies. "Nature walks" became a favorite pastime. Nature w...

This episode's intention: Who am I surrounded by, and how can I be an influencer?   You've heard that you are the average of the five people with whom you spend the most time. Think about the energy and conversations you surround yourself with. Do you feel supported? Does this align with your future? Awesome!     If you feel off, consider how you can influence conversations and energy to be more p...

This episode's intention: How can I grow my (physical and mental) muscles today?   When I reflect back on the times in my life when things seemed to be going really well- when I was really crushing it in other aspects of my life- I was weight training. I find that mind-body connection so fascinating. I know personally, and research supports, that strength training supports self-confidence, mood, a...

This episode's intention: How can I build confidence in myself in just 10 minutes?   Back in 2015 I was a 28-year-old stay-at-home mom of three kids in four years. I didn't feel like I had the time or energy to spend on myself. That spring when a fitness studio opened up in my small town, a friend and I signed up for the daily 5:15 am fitness classes. I don't know that I was particularly intereste...

This episode's intention: What do I need to make me wake up in the morning and actually BE in a good mood?   I started what I now call my "unravelling" period in the summer of 2022. For too many times in the same week I found myself staring at the ceiling at 3 am with my mind racing with all of my to-dos. Giving up on sleep, I started my work day. How could this be my dream small business? Was thi...