Unfinished Business

Kimberly Griggs | Ignite Coaching & Consulting
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  • Entrepreneurship

Unfinished Business is a weekly show for entrepreneurs, professionals, and leaders who are building something meaningful and real. We explore the lessons, mindset shifts, struggles, and breakthroughs that shape people into who they’re becoming — not just what they’ve built. In each episode, Kimberly Griggs sits down with founders, experts, and changemakers to talk about: ✔️ Why they started ✔️ What they’ve learned ✔️ What’s still a work in progress ✔️ And what they’d do differently if they could start again We also dive into raw, real questions about leadership, burnout, reinvention, impact,

  1. 3 days ago

    Starting a Business With Your Best Friend: What Nobody Tells You | Claire Kalala & Lauren Parks

    Summary: What happens when two best friends decide to build a business together? Claire and Lauren met in grad school, both wrote down "loyalty" as a core value, and started meeting at 6 a.m. before their school-based jobs to plan a practice of their own. Today they co-own The Art Room, Center for Creative Healing, an art therapy practice in Washington County, Maryland. Kimberly Griggs sits down with them to unpack how they built a business around what they didn't want (burnout, client quotas, being a cog in someone else's system), how they narrowed their ideal client, and how a shared language of "tabs" vs. "big picture" keeps their partnership and friendship strong. They also get honest about rupture and repair, protecting against burnout, growing from a team of three to six, and what they're still figuring out behind the confident exterior.   In this episode you'll learn: Why defining what you don't want is as important as defining what you doHow narrowing your ideal client (and your keywords) brought more of the right people to the doorHow referral partners and showing up in your community build a trusted local brandThe "tabs vs. big picture" framework for dividing roles and communicating as partnersA simple rupture-and-repair process: name the feelings, name the fears, work backward to a planHow to build wellness and burnout prevention into the way your business operatesThree lessons for anyone starting a business: connection, your time is money, and get clear on your must-havesKeywords business partnership, best friends in business, co-founders, art therapy, Maryland art therapy, private practice, small business growth, entrepreneurship, women business owners, burnout prevention, ideal client, niche marketing, referral partners, community marketing, partner communication, conflict resolution, rupture and repair, hiring, team growth, work-life balance, working mothers, imposter syndrome, leadership, Unfinished Business podcast   Chapters 00:00 Cold open 00:50 Welcome, Claire and Lauren 01:06 Meeting in grad school 05:31 The 6 a.m. calls that made it real 06:53 Building on what you don't want 09:12 What is art therapy? 11:34 Art therapy in action 16:09 Entering the field during COVID 18:52 Narrowing the ideal client 24:19 Getting known in the community 28:20 Learning money, insurance and marketing 31:12 Tabs vs. big picture 34:09 Rupture and repair: the hiring debate 38:49 Rules of the partnership 42:07 The shared "buckets" system 45:47 Switching from partners back to friends 49:45 Designing a business that prevents burnout 53:07 Growing from three to six 56:03 The biggest challenge: space 57:24 Advice to their 2023 selves 59:13 What they're still figuring out 1:01:03 Three most valuable lessons 1:03:18 Their unfinished business     More on The Art Room https://www.theartroomcch.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-art-room-cch/ https://www.instagram.com/theartroomcch/ https://www.facebook.com/theartroomcch/   Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: BOC3C01QPV6ZHIT7

  2. 22 Oct

    In the Middle of Mastery Best of Season 4 | Rory Sheppard

    Summary This special episode of Unfinished Business brings together bite-sized lessons from Season 4’s In the Middle of Mastery conversations with Rory Sheppard. Kimberly Griggs revisits the standout moments from her time with Rory, a former operations leader at H-E-B and Whataburger, for owners and leaders who are years in and still feeling far from the vision they started with. Each short segment delivers one practical lesson: why consistent B-minus service beats a one-time “wow,” how “superhero syndrome” keeps owners stuck as the bottleneck, and how to classify decisions so you can lead like air traffic control. Rory also covers giving every dollar a job, the three traits of influential leaders, building buy-in with “vote and veto,” keeping trust alive on remote teams, and using Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership model to delegate work to AI. New to In the Middle of Mastery, or need a refresher? This is your highlight reel.  Season 5 of Unfinished Business kicks off November 5th, with Rory returning on November 19th.  In this episode you’ll learn: Why predictable, reliable results matter more than occasional wow serviceThe two reasons owners stay the bottleneck, and why delegation pays off even when it’s slower at firstHow to sort root, trunk, branch, and leaf decisions so you focus on what only you can doWhy financial clarity builds confidence and reduces stress at every stage of growthThe three traits of influential leaders: competence, genuine care for people, and humilityHow “vote and veto” builds team buy-in, and when to be more directiveWhat has to change about one-on-ones and trust-building with remote teamsHow to use the four stages of Situational Leadership to delegate to AI, and why checking its work matters more than everKeywords operational bottlenecks, business operations, delegation for business owners, decision making framework, superhero syndrome, doer to leader, financial clarity, small business finances, influential leadership, leadership traits, humility in leadership, team buy-in, healthy team culture, remote team communication, one-on-one meetings, delegating to AI, agentic AI, AI for professional services, situational leadership, Ken Blanchard, Rory Sheppard, Kimberly Griggs, In the Middle of Mastery, Unfinished Business podcast, Season 4 highlights Chapters 00:00 Introduction: Special Episode – In the Middle of Mastery 00:23 Operational Bottlenecks: Delivering consistent, predictable results 01:11 Individual Bottlenecks: Letting go of control and learning to delegate 02:23 Decision Trees & Air Traffic Control: Knowing which decisions need you 04:19 Financial Health: Giving every dollar a job 05:26 Influential Leadership: Competence, genuine care, and humility 07:48 Healthy Team Environments: Encouraging participation and buy-in 09:26 Remote Communication: Building relationships beyond business conversations 11:05 Delegating to AI: Moving from doer to director 14:34 Situational Leadership & AI: Management, collaboration, coaching, and support 16:57 Close Out More on West Texas ActionCoach and Rory Sheppard https://westtexas.actioncoach.com/firm/ Connect with Rory https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorysheppard/ Music licensed through Soundstripe / Code: ZPJB5ASQKPJDTHVX

  3. 15 Oct

    “Every Month We Wondered If We’d Shut Down” | Dr. Irina Marcoff

    Summary: Dr. Irina Marcoff believes every child deserves a healthy, strong, and bright future, no matter their family's income. But with limited insurance reimbursement, many pediatric clinics rely on private pay, and families who can't afford high out-of-pocket rates go without care. So she built a nonprofit to close that gap, then spent two years with no grants, wondering every month if the doors would stay open. Today, TheraYouth Foundation provides physical, occupational, and speech therapy and counseling to New Jersey families at a substantially reduced cost, with plans to expand nationally. By 2024, just three years in, it had delivered nearly 1,700 therapy sessions, with 125 children in treatment and 59 graduates, and its waitlist has since grown past 400. Kimberly and Irina talk about hearing "no" dozens of times, the cash-reserve catch-22 of grant funding, building a working board, and the personal cost of keeping the mission alive. In this episode you'll learn: What a school for kids with disabilities and a NICU rotation taught her about never giving upWhy school-based therapy leaves bright kids without the help they needThe documentary moment that turned a frustrated clinician into a nonprofit founderWhy Medicaid rates make pediatric clinics nearly impossible to sustainHow she handled rejection: remember you're asking for kids, not yourselfHow to answer donors who don't trust nonprofitsThe grant catch-22: needing six months of cash reserves to get fundedHow a board advisor trial keeps "dead weight" off a working boardThe leadership lesson she learned the hard way: "Don't be a soft cookie. Be a chocolate chip cookie."The personal cost of funding the mission, and her unfinished businessKeywords nonprofit, pediatric therapy, physical therapy, healthcare access, Medicaid, fundraising, board of directors, leadership, delegation, entrepreneurship Chapters 00:00 – Cold open: will the ship sink or float? 00:37 – Welcome: meet Dr. Irina Marcoff 01:06 – The "babies to boomers" therapist 01:52 – The school that changed her perspective 03:58 – NICU lessons: don't give up 05:52 – Inside NYC public school therapy 08:48 – Families follow her to New Jersey 10:07 – Why Medicaid can't sustain a clinic 10:56 – The documentary that sparked a nonprofit 11:32 – A year-long road to nonprofit status 13:06 – Her first believers 15:48 – Dozens of no's and "you will fail" 16:28 – You're asking for kids, not yourself 17:58 – Surviving two years without grants 19:05 – Building the first board 21:36 – Why some donors don't trust nonprofits 24:26 – The cash reserve catch-22 25:52 – Impact and a 400-child waitlist 28:30 – When she realized she was the leader 29:58 – The anxiety behind the calm 33:42 – Delegating and letting go of control 35:33 – Why a working board matters 36:31 – The board advisor process 40:42 – Be a chocolate chip cookie 42:16 – The personal cost: no college fund 43:48 – What this country gave her 46:00 – How she defines success now 47:23 – The next three years 48:52 – A message to younger therapists 50:48 – Irina's unfinished business More on TheraYouth https://therayouth.org/about-therayouth-foundation/ Donate to TheraYouth’s Mission: https://therayouth.org/#donate Music licensed through Soundstripe Code: RUZ6YMIY1YPOFP1G

  4. 8 Oct

    She Never Wanted Employees. Now She Leads a Team of Six | Brittany Garcia

    Summary Brittany Garcia knew by fifth or sixth grade that she wanted to be the support she didn't have as a child. She went on to specialize in trauma as a licensed clinical professional counselor, then left a group practice in 2022 to go solo, with no plans to ever hire anyone. A month later, she was diagnosed with cancer. Today she leads Restorative Connections Counseling, a trauma-informed, LGBT-affirmative group practice in Billings, Montana. In this episode, Kimberly and Brittany talk about going from solopreneur to leading a team of six clinicians: learning to delegate, hiring lessons learned the hard way, protecting the practice's voice, and knowing when it's okay to stop building, at least for now. In this episode you'll learn: Why trauma responses need more than "just change your thinking"What clients told her about past therapists, and why it shaped her practiceWhat finally pushed a self-described introvert with a waitlist to hireWhy clear deadlines and structure make onboarding easierHow she delegated marketing without losing her brand voiceThe hiring story behind her rule: "Be slow to hire and quick to fire."What her team needed from her that she didn't see comingHow a cancer diagnosis shaped her plan for the practice to run without herWhy her practice is pausing growth, for nowHer unfinished business and her advice for taking risks without 100% certaintyKeywords group practice, private practice, trauma therapy, mental health, entrepreneurship, delegation, leadership, boundaries, burnout, business growth Chapters 00:00 – Cold open: when caring too much leads to burnout 00:25 – Welcome: meet Brittany Garcia 01:09 – Becoming the support she never had 03:49 – Signs of unresolved trauma 05:13 – What clients said about past therapists 06:30 – Why trauma needs more than CBT 07:53 – What "Restorative Connections" means 09:24 – How that shapes her team and culture 10:52 – What school didn't teach her about business 12:38 – From waitlist to first hire 14:51 – A hiring nightmare: slow to hire, quick to fire 17:34 – Building structure into onboarding 19:43 – The business work no one expects 21:28 – Delegating marketing without losing your voice 25:39 – Learning to let go of control 27:30 – What her team needed from her 30:03 – Trusting other clinicians with client care 31:56 – When caring becomes overextending 34:46 – Why it's okay to pause growth 36:24 – How she takes care of herself 38:26 – The hidden costs of building a practice 42:21 – How cancer changed her definition of success 47:15 – What's next: retreats and speaking 48:10 – Brittany's unfinished business 49:06 – Parting advice: trust that you can figure it out  More on Restorative Connections: https://www.restorative-connections.com/ Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/company/restorative-connections-counseling/ https://www.instagram.com/restorativeconnectionscoun https://www.facebook.com/RestorativeConnectionsCoun/  Music licensed through Soundstripe Code: RUZ6YMIY1YPOFP1G

  5. 1 Oct

    Why This Special Ed Teacher Left the System to Build Her Own Agency | Amelia Zephyr

    Summary Amelia Zephyr spent years as a special education teacher helping young children with developmental delays, autism, dyslexia and dysgraphia. She saw the same problems repeatedly: bureaucratic delays, kids expected to learn "in one box," and families left to figure out a complicated education system on their own. When her own daughter was diagnosed with autism at 18 months, and she began navigating the early intervention process as a parent, that's when she decided to do something about it. In January 2024, she founded Creative Foundations, an early intervention agency serving young children and families across the New York City area. In this episode, Kimberly and Amelia talk about what it really takes to turn a skill you're good at into a business: earning trust as a brand-new company, hiring people who care about the work, handling hard conversations with employees, and how Creative Foundations is using AI to reach busy parents. In this episode you'll learn: Why being great at your work isn't the same as building a business around itHow a personal experience turned Amelia's frustration into her missionWhat she underestimated about starting a business, from how many families needed help to hiring for authenticity and quality work.How to earn client trust quickly when nobody knows your name yetWhat "excellent communication" looks like day to day, including weekly family check-ins and sharing local resourcesThe interview question she uses to hire for authenticity: "What song describes your personality?"How she handles underperformanceHow Creative Foundations uses an AI-generated podcast to give parents tips they can listen to on the goThe low-cost retention idea any business owner can use tomorrowHer "unfinished business" and why contentment matters to herKeywords: early intervention, education, entrepreneurship, child development, community support, special needs, leadership, business growth Chapters 00:00 – Cold open: what parents of kids with special needs want from their community 00:18 – Welcome: from educator to CEO 01:45 – The kids she served: developmental delays, autism, dyslexia 02:52 – Why she left the school system to build her own agency 05:38 – The moment frustration turned into fuel 06:59 – Starting Creative Foundations (and being nervous) 09:07 – What she underestimated about starting a business 11:57 – The hardest part: building a supportive team in a "cutthroat" industry 13:50 – How to earn trust fast as a new business 15:01 – What excellent communication actually looks like 17:11 – A family's story: finding community at the local library 18:45 – What outsiders misunderstand about early intervention 19:42 – Growing visibility: social media, referrals and word of mouth 21:32 – From doing the work to leading: hiring for heart 22:16 – "What song describes your personality?" 24:03 – Skill fit vs. culture fit 24:56 – How to handle difficult performance conversations 27:50 – Redefining yourself as educator, entrepreneur, wife and mom 28:53 – The hidden costs of building a business 30:08 – The 5-year vision: expanding Creative Foundations nationwide 30:48 – How Creative Foundations uses AI 33:23 – One idea to steal: employee recognition 35:04 – Advice to her younger self 35:47 – Amelia's unfinished business More on Creative Foundations: https://www.creativefoundations.net/ Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: SD6D4DH5OKP9WSLL

  6. 24 Sept

    A New Approach to Stress Management | Ellyn Ito

    Summary: What if your stress isn't just a willpower problem, and it's really your nervous system stuck in overdrive? Ellyn Ito has spent 25+ years bringing new technology to market. When her 15-year-old son was struggling during the pandemic, she went looking for something that could help. His first session on a gentle neuromodulation device shifted things, and within months she had co-founded InnerStill to work toward bringing Mindvybe technology to everyone. Ellyn and Kimberly discuss how chronic stress has become "normal," how the vagus nerve moves us from fight-or-flight into rest-and-recover, and why calm spreads from person to person just like stress does. Ellyn also gets candid about building a startup in a brand-new category: educating a market used to taking a pill, raising mission-aligned capital, and quieting the inner voice that says you're not good enough. In this episode: Neuromodulation and its impact on healthThe role of the vagus nerve in stress regulationHow technology can help reconnect with oneselfThe development process of MindVibe and its benefitsChallenges in bringing new health technology to marketKeywords: neuroscience, neuromodulation, stress relief, nervous system, wellness technology, MindVibe, Ellen Ito, health innovation  Sound bites:  "Loosened stress in the neck and improved mood." "Stress eclipses our higher cognitive functions." "Vibing becomes a verb for wellness."  Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Kimberly Griggs and the show's focus83:09:05 Introducing Ellen Ito and her work in neuromodulation219:15:49 The significance of the Edison Award for innovation6194:16:00 Background and journey into the neuromodulation space19305:24:00 What problem does Mindvybe solve?359999:52:15 How electrical stimulation affects the brain and nervous system609444:24:44 The importance of calming the nervous system for health748333:19:01 Ellen’s secret sauce for perseverance and impact901666:40:00 Lessons for entrepreneurs and innovators928611:06:40 Closing thoughts and where to learn more about MindvybeTakeaways Neuromodulation can significantly reduce stress and improve mental clarityThe Vagus nerve is a critical pathway for managing automatic body functionsFunding is a major obstacle for health tech startupsTechnology that engages the nervous system passively can be a game-changer for mental health and wellness.  More About Mindvybe https://www.mindvybe.com/ Connect with Ellyn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellynito/  Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: RZHO3DHUGECDPUHF

  7. 17 Sept

    If Clients Can Just Ask AI, What Are They Paying You For? | Rory Sheppard

    Summary: If your customers can ask AI the same question you'd normally charge them for, what are they actually paying you for? That's the question driving this month's "Middle of Mastery" conversation with business consultant Rory Sheppard. As AI gives customers direct access to the same research, plans, and answers service providers have always sold, Rory and Kimberly dig into what's still worth paying for — and it isn't the answer itself. It's the expertise to know if the answer's right, the judgment to challenge it, and the relationship a client trusts enough to act on. Keywords AI, Pricing, Value, Expertise, Agents, Automation, Leadership, Delegation, Consulting, Accountability, Strategy, Productivity In This Episode: Why "having the answer" stopped being enough once AI could generate one tooThe shift from hourly billing to deliverable-based pricingStaying transparent about using AI without devaluing your expertiseManaging AI agents instead of peopleWhat to automate first Why accountability for the output never transfers to the AIRory's analog counter-practice Sound bites "I never trust the first answer." "It's not a question of did you use AI? It's how did you use AI?" "You're selling the relationship and trust between you and the person you're doing the work with." Chapters 00:01 — Intro to "Middle of Mastery" with Rory Sheppard 01:24 — If Customers Can Use AI Too, What Are They Paying You For? 01:48 — How Legitimate Is the Fear About AI Replacing Services? 04:15 — Why a 40-Page AI Business Plan Still Isn't Enough 08:37 — Repositioning the Value of Your Expertise 08:57 — Price vs. Value: Why Deliverable-Based Pricing Is the Shift 12:03 — Should You Disclose How Much AI You Used? 13:20 — How Fast AI Models Are Improving in 2026 14:56 — From Doing the Work to Directing AI Agents 16:35 — What Skills Should Service Providers Build Now? 19:01 — Why You Still Have to Check Every Word AI Gives You 22:15 — Situational Leadership, Applied to AI Agents 24:25 — How to Actually Check an AI Agent's Work 27:53 — When Is a Business Ready to Fully Integrate AI Agents? 31:02 — Why Scaling AI Use Gets Messy Fast 32:30 — Start With Non-Value-Added Work: What to Automate First 35:06 — Why Rory Demands Citations for Every AI-Generated Fact 36:31 — How Do You Track Whether AI's Data Is Even Accurate? 39:18 — Better Prompting: What Actually Improves AI Output 43:59 — Why Talking to AI Might Beat Typing to It 45:34 — Debunking the Myth That Being Mean to AI Helps 48:16 — Three Things Every Service Business Should Evaluate Now 51:50 — The Coming Crisis: Entry-Level Workers Losing "Grunt Work" Training 54:27 — Why Rory's Actually Optimistic About AI and the Workforce 57:50 — Rory's Anchor Points Journal and Why He Still Uses Pen and Paper 01:02:12 — The Focal Practice: Finding What Fully Occupies Your Mind Special offer! Receive 10% off Rory's Anchor Points Journal when you mention "Unfinished Business" Call Now! 806-557-2240 More on West Texas ActionCoach and Rory Sheppard https://westtexas.actioncoach.com/firm/ Connect with Rory https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorysheppard/ Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: IJK9BTLAHSCAHRKJ, K2MXQ9VB4ERWWCG2, GMGMB6DLMDWK5CGC

  8. 10 Sept

    He Started With a Side Hustle. 20 Years Later…

    Summary: Nearly 20 years ago, David Mitchell was working at West Texas A&M and doing landscaping on the side. What started with projects for friends and family eventually grew into Mitchell Landscaping, a full-service company serving the Texas Panhandle. In this episode of Unfinished Business, David talks with Kimberly about growing from doing every job himself to leading a team, his passion for creating outdoor spaces where people gather and enjoy life, and why quality and lasting customer relationships remain at the heart of his business. He also opens up about what growth looks like nearly two decades in—learning to delegate, developing his team, building better systems, and creating a business that doesn’t always depend on him. It’s a conversation about building something you’re proud of, learning as you go, and realizing that even 20 years in, there’s still unfinished business.   Keywords Landscaping, Business Growth, Outdoor Living, Texas, Entrepreneurship, Customer Satisfaction, Business Systems, Scaling a Business   Key  Topics Decision to go full-time with landscaping Importance of quality and customer satisfaction Scaling challenges and delegation Designing outdoor living spaces as an extension of home Trends in outdoor kitchens and fire pits Training and systems for business growth Lessons learned and advice for entrepreneurs   Sound bites "Bought out part of a business to go full time" "Success is a company that can run without me" "Building relationships with customers is key"   Chapters 00:00 — Meet David Mitchell, Co-Founder of Mitchell Landscaping 00:57 — Who David Was Before Mitchell Landscaping Existed 02:23 — Was Entrepreneurship Always the Plan? 03:04 — The Moment David Decided to Go All In 04:26 — What Success Looked Like in Year One 05:06 — What Kept Him Going on the Hard Days 05:44 — What People Don't Realize About Starting a Service Business 06:31 — Setting Non-Negotiables Before Hiring Your First Employees 07:37 — What "Quality" Actually Means in Landscaping 09:53 — What Building a Business Teaches You About Staying Humble 11:01 — What People Get Wrong About What Landscaping Really Is 12:52 — The Backyard Project David Will Never Forget 14:58 — What the Design Process Looks Like for a New Customer 16:54 — The Backyard Trends Everyone's Asking About Right Now 18:28 — What a Backyard Transformation Actually Costs 19:05 — Financing Options for Bigger Backyard Projects 20:36 — Rapid Fire: Success, Investments, and a Few Fun Facts 24:54 — The Biggest Challenge of Wearing Every Hat in the Business 26:16 — Passing Knowledge Down to the Next Generation of Leaders 27:02 — Rating His Own Systems on a Scale of One to Ten 28:32 — What Success Means to David Right Now 30:06 — If He Could Change One Thing About the Business Tomorrow 30:58 — The Advice He'd Give His 2006 Self 32:09 — What's Still Unfinished for Mitchell Landscaping 32:44 — What He Hopes Customers Remember 20 Years From Now 34:48 — His Best Advice for Any Aspiring Entrepreneur     More about Mitchell Landscaping   Website - https://www.mitchelllandscaping.net/     Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: RMMDYEM9P6HSGWUK

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About

Unfinished Business is a weekly show for entrepreneurs, professionals, and leaders who are building something meaningful and real. We explore the lessons, mindset shifts, struggles, and breakthroughs that shape people into who they’re becoming — not just what they’ve built. In each episode, Kimberly Griggs sits down with founders, experts, and changemakers to talk about: ✔️ Why they started ✔️ What they’ve learned ✔️ What’s still a work in progress ✔️ And what they’d do differently if they could start again We also dive into raw, real questions about leadership, burnout, reinvention, impact,

Information

  • Creator
    Kimberly Griggs | Ignite Coaching & Consulting
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    81
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Kimberly Griggs | Ignite Coaching & Consulting
  • Show Website
    Unfinished Business