I Ignored My Gut And It Cost Me Six Figures…

If I could go back to the day I decided to launch my podcast and sit down with that version of myself, I’d tell her five things… five lessons that would have saved me years of frustration, six figures, and a whole lot of energy spent pushing something uphill.

This month marks four years of The Biz Doctor® Podcast.

1,461 days. Over 100 episodes. 50+ five-star reviews. A top 3% globally ranked show.

On the surface, those numbers look like “winning.”

But I’d be lying if I told you I felt like I’m winning.

It’s true that behind the scenes, I’ve gotten to have conversations with brilliant people, share frameworks that have changed how business owners run their businesses and lead their teams, and have listeners tell me my show is one of their absolute favorites.

So, yes, I’m proud of what this podcast has become, and I want to celebrate this milestone, but, even with all that “success” it also feels a little heavy.

I’m kicking myself for not learning these lessons sooner, which is why I’m sharing them with you.

After four years of building, I know more about what didn’t work than what did.

Here are the five things I’d change if I were starting over and talking to that previous version of myself, because these lessons, whether you’re building a podcast, a business, or just a better life, will help you miss the potholes and speed bumps that I fell over.

Table of Contents

Trust your gut sooner

There were moments along the way where something felt off. I couldn’t name it. I couldn’t point to a specific thing. But my gut was telling me to pay attention, and I ignored it because I wanted to believe everything was fine – and honestly it felt like it was better to stay with the “devil you know, then the one you don’t.”

Your gut picks up on things before your brain can articulate them. If something feels off, something IS off. You don’t need all the evidence to start asking better questions. The earlier you listen to that quiet voice, the less cleanup you’ll have to do later.

What I know now: I’d treat that uneasy feeling as data, not noise. Every time I ignored it, I paid for it later. This last time I ignored it, I got a surprise ChatGPT-written email telling me my producer was unable to fulfill the rest of my contract, leaving me and my podcast high and dry.

Anchor to the bigger picture first

I started my podcast without a real marketing plan. I knew I had things to say. I knew it would be a great way to reach more people. But I never sat down and asked, “How does this actually fit into the ecosystem of my business?”

For four years, my podcast lived on an island. Great content, strong episodes, loyal listeners, but disconnected from everything else I was building. And that made it feel heavy. It felt like extra work instead of essential.

What I know now: There are three questions I’d ask myself before launching anything new, whether it’s a podcast, a product, a service, or even a Substack.

Why does this exist?
How does it connect to what I’m already building?
And what does it feed?

Everything in your business should build on what’s around it. If something feels like it’s floating on its own, it’s probably because you never anchored it to the bigger picture and that is going to make it a slog not a success.

Make sure you’re playing the same game

I knew what I wanted from my podcast. I wanted to make an impact on my listeners. I wanted to grow my audience. I wanted it to be a top-ranking show.

I had a clear picture of success in my head.

The problem wasn’t that I didn’t know what I wanted.

The problem was that the person I hired to help me get there had a completely different definition of the job.

I thought “producer” meant strategic partner. Someone who would help me grow, evolve, and build momentum.

Their definition was just editing the show.

And every time I tried to bridge that gap, the ambiguity around what “producing” and “supporting” actually meant kept us talking past each other.

What I know now: I’d get painfully specific about expectations before the contract was signed. Not just “what are you delivering?” but “what does support actually look like? How are we measuring success? Whose job is what?”

If you and the person you’re hiring aren’t aligned on what winning looks like, you’re not in a partnership. You’re headed for a misunderstanding.

Because as I always say, unshared expectations are nothing more than premeditated resentments.

Be a laser, not a flashlight.

This one stings, because I know better. I teach this to my clients. And yet, when it came to my own podcast, I was a flashlight.

Too many topics. Too many platforms. Too many types of guests. I was spread so thin that it was hard for anyone to grab onto one thing and say, “You need to listen to this podcast because she talks about X.”

A laser can cut through diamonds. A flashlight just lights up a room. When you’re trying to make an impact and build momentum, the only choice is to be a laser. Once you have the momentum, then you can expand.

What I know now: I’d keep it more consistent. One audience, one core problem, one pathway until I had real momentum.

That way, my topics, my platforms, my guests, all of it would be aligned so there was zero ambiguity about why someone should listen in.

Just like there should be zero ambiguity about why someone should work with me, or with you.

The more clear, the more concise, the more consistent, that’s when momentum happens.

That’s when referrals happen, because people are talking about you when you’re not in the room.

That’s where growth really compounds.

I spent so much time trying to be everything to everyone that I ended up being very little to very few.

F*ck sunk costs

For four years, I told myself some version of “well, it’s working. It’s a top-ranked podcast. I’ve already invested so much time and money. I can’t just blow it up now.” And so I kept going, even when things started feeling off around year two. Even when my gut (see lesson one) was telling me something needed to change.

The truth is, “it’s kind of working” is one of the most dangerous phrases in business.

It gives you just enough to justify staying, but not enough to actually get where you want to go.

Had I gotten ruthlessly honest with myself around year two, I could have found a partner who was a better fit, with more aligned expectations and expertise. I would have had less sunk costs and more momentum.

What I know now: I’d give myself the grace to change something mid-stroke, even if I’d already invested six figures in it. “I’ve come this far” is often times not a strategy, it’s a trap.

So What

Here’s what I want you to take away from all of this: we’re all human. We all make mistakes.

Of course I’m sitting here with hindsight bias, things I absolutely would change with the information I know now.

The truth is, we all make decisions with the information we have in the moment, and we make the best decisions we can with what we’ve got.

One of my favorite books, “Thinking in Bets,” says it really beautifully: there is a danger in resulting – retroactively looking at a decision as good or bad based on the result.

The facts are I spent a lot of time and money on a podcast I could have gotten farther, faster with, but in the end, I’m grateful for these lessons abd the trail and error.

I have a great body of work, a top 3% globally ranked show, and foundation I can now build momentum faster on because I know what doesn’t work and I have the clarity of what I need to move forward.

Because that might be the 6th lesson, double down on clarity. Without it, nothing works.

Let my failures be a beacon of inspiration to you that even if you’ve put your blood, sweat, and tears into something that’s “kind of working,” it’s never too late to change course, ask for what you want, or heck even start over.

I am on here a couple times a month, but if you ever want your business bestie in your ear whenever you want, I’d love for The Biz Doctor® Podcast to be your go-to show.

If you’re a business owner who’s ready to make the operator-to-owner shift, if you’re looking to become a better leader, build a high performing and autonomous team that doesn’t need you in every decision, run a more profitable business, or figure out how to actually leverage AI in your operations, then come hang out with me on the show.

Over 100 episodes of real conversations, real tactics, real tools. No fluff. Just straight talk. What I like to call business booster shots: small doses, big shifts to help you have more of the freedom you started your business for.

I don’t know exactly what the next evolution of this podcast is going to look like. I think I’ve found a great producer, but I haven’t taken the next step yet because I really want to take a moment and reflect on everything from the past 1,461 days so I can be more focused, more integrated, more aligned, and bring you an even better podcast.

So tell me, what topics do you want me to cover in the next chapter? Drop a comment or send me a message. This podcast has always been for you, and the next evolution is doubling down on my favorite people, business owners like you who are changing the world.

In the meantime, if you want some business booster shots, hop on over to Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to bing the last 5 seasons.

oh and p.s. speaking of the operator to owner shift… If you have uttered these words recently: “𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐈 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞… 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭. 𝐈𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠.” I get it and have just what the doctor ordered for you!

I help clients implement AI and internal agents every day, and have a workshop I teach every month called Unlocking AI for Your Business, showing you exactly how to leverage AI more strategically (without the chaos) and graduate from ChatGPT/claude to actual workflows and agents that give you back time.

You’ll leave with:

Confidence in how to work more strategically with AI and how to leverage it
One AI agent built around a task you want off your plate
A simple “what to build now” plan for you and your team

Goal: reclaim 5+ hours per week (per person).

Ask yourself, if I could 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧? That’s where we’ll start!

Grab your seat: https://www.goldenkeypartnership.com/ai

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