Founders and Empanadas

Christie Kaplan is the founder of Startup Design Partners, a design-led venture studio that helps early-stage teams go from chaos to clarity, before they waste six months building the wrong thing.In this episode, Christie and Josh dive into the real work of product design: making hard decisions, listening well, and separating signal from noise when everyone just wants to be polite.This is a crash course in how to lead with empathy, think like a researcher, and stop mistaking “busy” for “validated.”Some things you’ll learn in this episode:Why most founders fake validation without realizing itHow to use the Five Whys to uncover real user painThe biggest misconception about product-market fit that founders get wrongWhat Christie means when she says “design is an investor’s greatest insurance policy”How to course-correct founders who are building the wrong thing (without killing their momentum)The biggest emotional trap early-stage teams fall intoWhy user surveys are almost always misleading—and what to do insteadThe truth about founder mental health, decision fatigue, and building an MVP that actually resonatesChristie’s not only a designer. She’s a venture strategist, a founder psychologist, and an artist capturing the emotional truth of startup life.If you’re a founder, product lead, or operator building through the fog, this one will hit home.Listen now on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What if you could personalize every cold email (without recording a thousand videos)?Bethany Stachenfeld is the Co-Founder & CEO of Sendspark, the video platform trusted by teams at Salesforce, Oracle, Outreach, and LinkedIn to drive 400%+ more engagement through asynchronous, AI-personalized video messaging.In this episode, Bethany and Josh go deep on the evolution of modern sales, how to build a capital-efficient SaaS company, and what most startups get wrong about product-led growth. Whether you’re scaling an SDR team, testing pricing models, or just trying to avoid burnout, this conversation is packed with practical frameworks and honest founder lessons.What you’ll learn:Why “The Mom Test” is Bethany’s favorite product-market fit framework and how to use it correctlyThe surprising reason Sendspark ditched its freemium model (and what happened next)How to hire high-leverage global talent without bloating headcount or losing cultureThe #1 mistake founders make when building GTM motion (and how Bethany avoided it)How she defines a non-burnout culture that still drives serious resultsA simple mindset shift to make enterprise implementations less chaoticWhy “selling yourself” isn’t just for founders, it’s a skill every teammate should masterThis episode is a playbook for founders, sales leaders, and product-minded operators who want to do more with less, without losing their soul in the process.

When I first came across Mitchell Leshchiner on LinkedIn, I immediately DM’d him and said: “I don’t know what ElectroKare is exactly… but I know I need to learn more.”Mitchell is the kind of founder you can’t ignore. He’s a former pro athlete, Palantir-trained engineer, and now CEO of ElectroKare: the AI-native operating system built to track and optimize the body’s most overlooked signals.In this conversation, we dive deep into the future of health tech and the uncomfortable truth behind most wearables.I’m so excited to have Mitchell on Founders & Empanadas because this isn’t just another chat about “wellness” or quantified self hype. This is a masterclass in how to build and scale smarter, more responsible tools in healthcare—without falling for the noise.You’ll learn:Why electrolytes—not caffeine or nootropics—might be the real cheat code for performanceHow Mitchell uses real-time ECG signals to detect hydration, fatigue, and recovery—and why PPG-based wearables (like rings and watches) are often misleadingThe major data blind spots behind popular health features like “biological age” and “strain scores”What founders should actually prioritize in healthcare product launches: polish vs. speedHow ElectroKare’s AI copilot lets users query their own body (“Can I run a marathon in 2 months?”) and get dynamic training plans and supplement recommendationsWhy first impressions matter more than YC advice might suggestThe daily behavior change that made Mitchell his own best power userThis episode will shift how you think about wearables, AI, and what it really means to build for human performance.If you care about health, product quality, or building something that actually works—you’re going to love this one.🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube now.

Most sales teams lose the deal after the demo, not because the pitch fell flat, but because their champion didn’t know how to sell it internally.In this episode of Founders & Empanadas, I sat down with Gal Aga, CEO and co-founder of Aligned, to unpack the psychological friction that stalls deals, derails champions, and kills momentum in multi-stakeholder sales cycles.With 17+ years in B2B SaaS leadership (including roles as CRO and VP of Sales), Gal built Aligned to solve the messy, buyer-led chaos that plagues modern selling. His POV? The best AEs offer Buying Process as a Service.We dig into:The moment in every sales cycle where buyer confusion spikesWhy most champions aren’t emotionally or politically prepared to sell internallyHow internal misalignment—not vendor selection—derails enterprise dealsThe biggest myth about CFOs (and how to actually win them over)What great sales teams cut from their process to reduce complexity and move fasterThis one’s a must-listen for anyone selling into fast-growing companies, multi-threaded accounts, or C-suites with competing agendas.Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Will Allred didn’t set out to build the world’s best email coach. He was trying to sell a psychology-based marketing platform. Then COVID hit, their customers stopped paying, and they had 45 days of runway left.What happened next? A quick pivot, a squeal of excitement from their first user, and the start of what became Lavender, now used in over 30,000 inboxes and one of the most beloved brands in B2B sales.In this episode, Will joins Founders & Empanadas to break down:The story behind Lavender’s pivot (and why their original idea had to die)How renting a plane hangar for a SaaStr rave created more pipeline than any billboardWhy AI prospecting tools mostly suck (and what they’re getting totally wrong)What most orgs get wrong about SDRs, AI, and outbound workflowsHis playbook for tiering accounts and blending human + AI in real sales opsHow he uses weirdness, humor, and content to attract not just users—but the right kind of teammatesAnd why the most important brand move is just being yourself, consistentlyIf you care about cold email, go-to-market strategy, or scaling a culture that doesn’t feel like every other SaaS company — this one’s a must-listen.🎧 Founders & Empanadas is live now on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.

Tom Coburn co-founded Jebbit in a college dorm room, scaled it over 13 years, raised $90M, and eventually sold the company to BlueConic. Today, he’s the CEO of Waking Up — one of the most popular meditation apps in the world.In this episode, we talk about what it means to train your mind like you train your body, and how that shift has changed the way Tom leads, builds, and navigates uncertainty.We cover:How Tom used meditation to stay grounded through layoffs, pivots, and a near-collapse at JebbitThe mindset reframe he gave his team when they were down to $1M in the bank and had no working productWhy most founders give up on mindfulness too quickly… and what they miss by treating it like a performance hackHow Waking Up balances scientific insight with contemplative wisdom, without forcing anything on the teamWhat mindfulness looks like in practice when things go wrongWhat Tom got wrong about culture early on, and how his approach evolved over timeIf you’re a founder navigating stress, uncertainty, or burnout — and want a different lens to approach it — this episode is for you.🎧 Listen now on Founders & Empanadas.

Everyone thinks AI is coming to take over customer support.But Chyngyz Dzhumanazarov thinks it’s coming to expose your lack of systems.In this episode, the Kodif CEO breaks down what most founders get wrong about implementing AI, why early-stage focus can be dangerous, and how support teams should be preparing for the future—not just with better tools, but with better workflows.We also go deep on Chyngyz’s personal journey:Growing up in post-Soviet KyrgyzstanWatching his mom start a business from scratch to surviveBecoming the first person from his country to graduate from Stanford GSBAnd what that kind of perspective does to your resilience as a founderIf you’re thinking about automation, scaling a support team, or just trying to stay sane through startup chaos—this one hits on all of it.Watch if you care about:– The future of BPOs– Human-AI collaboration– Resilient founder mindset– AI tooling vs. AI readiness– Building companies from a place of joy, not fearSubscribe to follow along with Founders & Empanadas.

In this episode of Founders & Empanadas, Joshua Eidelman sits down with Dr. Osama Hashmi, dermatologist and co-founder of Impiricus, a next-gen healthtech platform transforming how pharma companies engage with physicians.They go deep into what it really takes to build a globally distributed, high-compliance healthcare company, and why the future of clinical work won’t look like the past.This conversation is a masterclass in:Scaling remote teams across Pakistan, the Philippines, and the U.S.Rewriting the SOP playbook to make offshore hires outperformBalancing AI with human oversight in regulated systemsSeparating your identity from your startup (and why it matters)Staying grounded in mission when things inevitably get messyWhether you’re a healthtech operator, systems builder, or founder trying not to lose your mind—this one’s for you.🎧 Listen to the latest Founders & Empanadas episode.

In this episode of Founders & Empanadas, Joshua Eidelman sits down with Omer Bloch, founder of Remote Latinos, to talk about the real (and often uncomfortable) truths behind global hiring, building remote teams, and what most founders get dead wrong about culture.Omer has helped 700+ companies hire remote talent from Latin America, the Philippines, Egypt, and beyond. And in this conversation, he doesn’t hold back.They cover:Why A-players might be the wrong first hireHow to spot a toxic culture before it implodesFiring with empathy—and without flinchingWild stories from the front lines of remote recruiting (yes, including fake resumes and tattoos that say… well, you’ll see)The real differences between LATAM, PH, and Egypt talent poolsAnd why remote work is here to stay—whether founders like it or notIf you care about team building, remote culture, or the future of work, this episode is a must.

This week on Founders & Empanadas, Joshua Eidelman sits down with Patrick Gilligan, founder of Somethings, a behavioral health platform connecting teens with young adult peer mentors who’ve been through it themselves.Patrick opens up about the emotional cost of working in youth mental health, why peer support often resonates more than traditional therapy, and how founders can stop gripping the wheel so hard just to survive. From building trust with teens to modeling vulnerability as leaders, this conversation is a masterclass in empathy, emotional self-awareness, and building things that actually help.Topics covered:Why Gen Z needs a different kind of mental health supportThe real reason some founders burn outTools on the path: Journal Speak, IFS, and emotional hygiene for leadersWhat corporate managers can learn from peer mentorshipHow to reach silent strugglers before it’s too lateListen in and subscribe if you care about mental health, leadership, or building systems that actually meet people where they are.

The future doesn’t belong to the loudest idea. It belongs to the teams that can execute in the messiest industries.In this episode of Founders & Empanadas, Joshua sits down with Adam Bailey, Co-Founder and CTO of Topanga.io, to explore what it really takes to scale technology that solves real-world operational problems—starting with food waste.Adam shares how Topanga pivoted from food delivery to building a kitchen intelligence platform used by universities, hospitals, and senior living communities across North America.They dig into what founders get wrong about market sizing, why human-in-the-loop AI outperforms pure automation, and how tiny shifts in workflow design can create massive financial and environmental wins.Topics include:Why solving food waste starts with rethinking operator workflowsHow to scale into fragmented sectors like education, healthcare, and hospitalityWhy cutting user effort is the hidden key to product adoptionThe tradeoffs of human-in-the-loop vs full automationWhat it really takes to stay mission-driven when the operational reality gets messyWhy TAM isn’t everything (and how to find markets that compound through word of mouth)This isn’t just a conversation about sustainability. It’s a conversation about designing systems that actually work at scale.📌 Timestamps:0:00 – Intro and empanadas1:00 – Early pivots: from food delivery to container tracking5:00 – Unlocking the reusable container model for universities8:00 – Scaling into senior living and healthcare10:00 – StreamLine: How Topanga built smarter AI + human workflows15:00 – Go-to-market motion: Word-of-mouth and strategic partnerships24:00 – Mental health and operational intensity in startups30:00 – Why zero food waste isn’t the goal (and what the real target is)35:00 – Financial impact of small waste reductions38:00 – Adam’s advice on market analysis beyond TAM40:00 – Final reflections on building for impact

Is in-game advertising the future of media? Can Hearthstone be a mental health tool? Why do most founders fail with overseas talent?In this episode of Founders & Empanadas, I sit down with Max Albert—founder of Adrenaline Interactive and former eSports athlete turned venture-backed gaming CEO—for a fast-moving conversation on the real future of gaming, monetization models that aren’t predatory, and the personal story behind how gaming helped him recover from depression and drop back into life.We cover:Why in-game product placement will eat traditional advertisingThe harsh truth about scaling with vague specsThe overlooked power of games in managing mental healthThe emotional toll of startup life (and how to stay in the game)Why perseverance is more valuable than productAnd the one thing young founders should prioritize before building anythingIf you’ve ever wondered what gaming can teach you about product, performance, and personal growth—this episode delivers.📌 Timestamps:0:00 – Intro and first empanada4:30 – Max’s founding story: NFL games, Ford, and quitting6:00 – Why gaming’s future is female9:30 – Ethical monetization vs. ad spam13:00 – Blockchain gaming: genius or grift?15:00 – Open vs. closed game economies18:00 – What Activision Blizzard got right20:00 – The “stagnation” myth in gaming22:00 – Virtual product placement explained26:00 – Hardest roles to hire for in gaming28:00 – Why most overseas teams fail (and how to fix it)29:00 – The Ukraine story that changed Max’s perspective34:00 – Using gaming to manage anxiety37:00 – Escapism vs. empowerment in Gen Z41:00 – The Hearthstone-to-CEO mindset44:00 – Funniest failed startup ideas Max ever heard47:00 – Max’s hot take: love before legacy49:00 – Story beats data: how he raised $2M

Most leaders talk about innovation. Mark Johnson actually builds for it.In this episode of Founders & Empanadas, I sit down with Mark Johnson, Co-Founder of Michigan Software Labs, to unpack what innovation really looks like inside high-stakes teams, enterprise orgs, and day-to-day life.We cover:Why the best innovation comes from crisis, not comfortWhat NASA’s Apollo 13 mission can teach you about leadershipHow to empower junior teammates to share ideas without fearThe one exercise Mark gives every audience to spark better decision-makingTactical frameworks for managing AI expectations without over-engineeringAnd what it actually takes to lead through chaosIf you’re building during uncertain times—or trying to evolve your team from order-takers to product thinkers—this episode delivers real strategies you can apply immediately.📌 Timestamps:00:00 – Origin story of Michigan Labs03:00 – Hiring mistakes and early lessons06:00 – Mark’s TED Talk recap: innovation, crisis, and courage08:30 – The story behind M&Ms and building through rejection11:00 – How to innovate in your personal life15:00 – Empowering your team to speak up16:30 – Getting engineers to think like product owners18:00 – Avoiding a surveillance culture while maintaining accountability19:30 – How AI is changing client demand and staffing22:00 – The 10-20-70 rule for successful AI adoption25:00 – Managing client expectations when AI becomes a buzzword26:30 – Mental health and the agency business model29:30 – The hardest conversation Mark’s ever had with a client32:30 – Loneliness in agency life and lessons on resilience36:00 – Mark’s hot take on the best way to innovate today

What do you do when you’re hogtied at gunpoint in a Brazilian penthouse? Or broke in Sri Lanka trying to make a business work from scratch?For Evan Cassidy, those weren’t hypotheticals—they were chapter one.In this raw and revealing episode of Founders & Empanadas, Joshua Eidelman sits down with Evan to unpack the wild, global journey that eventually led him to build Booming Brands, a white-labeled video editing agency now producing 4,000+ videos per month.They cover:The violent home invasion in Brazil that changed Evan’s lifeThe freelancer trap most digital founders fall intoHow to tell when a startup is failing—vs. when you’re just quitting too earlyWhy founder skills don’t scale (and how to grow into a real CEO)A tactical system for finding product-market fit in servicesThe difference between resilience and denial when chasing a visionIf you’ve ever wondered whether to keep pushing—or finally let go—this conversation will hit home.📌 TIMESTAMPS:0:00 – Intro + Empanadas2:00 – Leaving corporate life for Brazil4:30 – The home invasion story9:30 – Faith, fear, and navigating chaos12:00 – Moving to Sri Lanka + freelancer years16:00 – Failed course launch + debt17:30 – Iterating into Booming Brands22:00 – Traits that don’t scale from founder to CEO26:00 – Leadership mistakes that haunt you29:00 – Picking yourself up after failure32:00 – Final hot take: Don’t diversify too soon🎧 Full episode available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Is your customer support team seen as a cost center—or a strategic growth engine?In this episode of Founders & Empanadas, Joshua Eidelman sits down with Susana De Sousa, CX advisor and former leader at Airbnb and Loom, to challenge the outdated thinking around support. They dive deep into how support teams can drive expansion revenue, reduce churn, and directly contribute to product and retention strategy.Susana shares hard-won lessons from scaling support at hypergrowth startups, how to build automation without losing the human touch, and why CSAT might be the most misleading metric in your dashboard. She also gives tactical frameworks for tying support performance to business outcomes—and why now is the best time ever to lead a support team.Whether you’re a founder, CX leader, or just tired of fighting for headcount, this episode will change the way you think about support.📌 Topics Covered:Turning support into a revenue driverSupport metrics that actually matterHow AI is changing the shape of modern CX orgsHiring for “multiplier effect” talentVoice of customer loops that influence product🎧 Listen in and learn how to scale customer support without sacrificing quality—or your sanity.

Starting a company means embracing a strange, often uncomfortable reality: status limbo.One day, you’re managing a team, earning a solid paycheck, and working in a nice office. The next, you’re back to zero—no salary, no brand recognition, no credibility beyond your own conviction. It’s the most disorienting transition in a founder’s journey, and if you don’t learn to sit with it, it can lead to some really bad decisions.In the latest Founders & Empanadas episode, Joshua Eidelman sat down with Patrick Rafferty, co-founder of UserHub, to unpack the mental game of startup life, the role of AI in software businesses, and the often-overlooked challenge of communicating across cultures.

In this episode, Joshua Eidelman sits down with marketing powerhouse Melissa Rosenthal to discuss her journey from media disruptor at BuzzFeed to B2B marketing innovator at ClickUp. Melissa shares candid insights on applying B2C strategies to B2B marketing, building high-performing teams during hypergrowth, and her philosophy on brand building. She opens up about the emotional challenges of working 20-hour days at a rocket ship startup, her approach to hiring and managing talent, and her current venture OutLever, which turns companies into their own media publications. Don't miss Melissa's hot takes on founder mindset, including why friction causes movement and why brand means different things at different stages.TIMESTAMPS:1:58 - From media disruption to B2B SaaS: Melissa's career journey4:48 - Bringing B2C marketing strategies to B2B at ClickUp7:27 - Wild stories from the early BuzzFeed days11:16 - Scaling marketing teams while maintaining culture15:31 - The reality of work-life balance at hypergrowth companies19:07 - Identifying when early hires aren't right for the next phase22:01 - The dangers of promoting great ICs to management roles25:26 - Balancing data-driven decisions with creative intuition29:25 - OutLever: Turning companies into their own media publications34:05 - Why brand means different things at different stages

There's something special about sharing empanadas and diving into deep conversations about life, learning, and entrepreneurship with family. Last week, I had the joy of sitting down with Dr. Dawn Eidelman—who happens to be my mother—for an episode of Founders and Empanadas. As we talked about her incredible journey from academia to global education innovator, I couldn't help but reflect on how growing up in a family of educational entrepreneurs shaped my own view of what's possible in our interconnected world.

In this special Q&A episode, Joshua Eidelman, founder of NeoWork, answers listener questions about entrepreneurship, building global teams, and driving operational excellence across cultures.TIMESTAMPS:0:00 Introduction1:57 How immigrant parents shape entrepreneurial resilience4:33 Driving performance with overseas teams in non-confrontational cultures7:15 Essential Tagalog terms for managing Filipino teams12:59 Operational excellence with LatAm teams23:23 Navigating cultural differences in global leadership26:38 Cross-cultural alignment strategies28:09 Combating founder loneliness29:34 Building trust between technical and non-technical teams31:16 Balancing speed and sustainability to prevent burnout34:19 Closing thoughts and call for more questionsJoshua shares personal insights from building NeoWork's international team, including practical tips for managing teams across the Philippines, Colombia, and other regions. Learn about cultural nuances, communication strategies, and leadership approaches that drive success in a global workforce.

As the host of Founders and Empanadas, I've had the privilege of sitting down with many entrepreneurs to explore the intersection of business and life's major milestones. My recent conversation with Devon O'Rourke, founder of Fluvio, was particularly enlightening. We dove into how becoming a new parent will change your life— but maybe not as much as you might think.Over spicy mystery-meat empanadas (which we later discovered were chicken), Devon shared how his journey into fatherhood coincided with his most successful month at Fluvio. What struck me most was his approach to preparing for paternity leave – instead of micromanaging every detail, he empowered his team with greater autonomy. This trust-based leadership not only resulted in record revenues but also demonstrated how parenthood can push us to build more resilient organizations.