After the Pitch with Joanna Trojak

Joanna Trojak
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  • Entrepreneurship

After Pitch is the raw, real talk behind building a startup. No sugarcoating, no buzzwords — just honest conversations about the wins, the failures, and everything in between. If you're a founder, dreamer, or builder who craves authenticity over hype, this podcast is for you.  If you have an intresting story to tell and would like to share it on my podcast, email me at podcast@quietlydifferent.app If you are intrested what I am building here is where you can find me: https://quietlydifferent.app/ https://joannatrojak.substack.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/quietly.differentapp LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-trojak/

  1. 1d ago

    From Saturn to Shakespeare: How Special Interests Shape Us

    In this episode, Joanna sits down with David Ault — voice actor, science communicator, and self-described lifelong lover of numbers and stars — to explore what happens when a childhood fascination becomes a lifelong compass. David traces his path from mental arithmetic and backyard stargazing through an astrophysics degree, a stint teaching in university labs, and eventually into voice acting and science storytelling — including six months performing Shakespeare in India. Together, David and Joanna dig into why special interests matter so much, especially for neurodivergent people: how they shape identity, how they can feel safer and deeper than small talk, and how society tends to celebrate curiosity in children while stigmatizing it in teenagers, only to reward it again in adulthood. They talk about what supportive (and unsupportive) parenting and teaching looks like, why children ask better questions than adults, and how storytelling can make even the most complex ideas — physics, engineering, the universe itself — feel like something you can hold onto. The conversation closes with David's advice to anyone who's been told their interests are "too much": keep going. What the world calls strange is usually just where the good stuff lives. Themes covered: special interests & neurodivergent identity, masking, science communication, imagination, parenting and teaching curious kids, friendship and belonging beyond small talk. www.davidault.co.uk linktr.ee/thedavidault.

  2. Jul 22

    No Amazon. No VCs. No Pitching. Seven Figures.

    Kate Assaraf built Dip, a seven-figure haircare company, without pitching to Amazon, without VC money, without paid influencers — and she intentionally sends customers away from her own website to small, women-owned refill shops, even when it costs her sales. In my very first interview for After the Pitch, Kate and I talk about why VCs will never love a product designed to make people buy less, what it took to build a company between 4 a.m. and school drop-off during COVID, and why she created exclusive scents that only one small-town store in the world can sell. We also get into fragrance-free products as a love letter to people going through chemo, IVF, and sensory overwhelm — and what we lose when the algorithm replaces the shopkeeper who knows your name. If you've spent years pitching gatekeepers (I have), this conversation is a quiet argument that there was another door the whole time. https://dipalready.com/ IG: @dipalready Tiktok: @dipalready

  3. Jun 26

    I Gave Myself the Grade Nobody Else Did

    A child gets a cello instead of a diagnosis, learns to perform "normal," and spends two decades getting good at it — through a needy friend, a co-founder who ran textbook love-bombing and gaslighting, and a body that eventually refused to keep up the act with headaches, vomiting, and asthma it couldn't explain. This episode traces one founder's path from masking to an autism diagnosis to a redefinition of loneliness itself: not a lack of people, but a lack of belonging — the ability to be fully yourself even when no one's watching. Drawing on customer interviews, polyvagal theory, and a hundred-year-old Jung quote that beat every modern theory to the punch, it argues the cure for loneliness was never "go outside and make friends."

  4. Jun 16

    After the Pitch: Why I Stopped Performing and Started Talking"

    A new season, a new name, and a completely different reason to record. Joanna Trojak — autistic founder, hospital patient, serial restarter — explains why she quit scripting herself into someone acceptable and what it costs to spend years pitching your way into rooms that were never yours.

  5. 11/08/2025

    The Silence Before Clarity: 9 User Calls, 1 Book, and the Day I Didn’t Quit

    When growth stalls and doubt gets loud, most founders push harder—or walk away. In this vulnerable solo episode, Joanna Trojak shares how a stretch of unsettling silence revealed not burnout, but disconnection—and how one pivotal book (Rob Fitzpatrick’s The Mom Test) plus nine honest user conversations changed her roadmap for Heart Renew from isolated journaling to shared solitude and gentle, non-performative connection. If you’ve wondered whether your product is broken, your vision still matters, or whether it’s time to quit—this one’s for you. You’ll hear the exact questions Joanna asked, the emotional truths users shared, and the product shifts that followed. You’ll learn: Why “I’m burned out” sometimes masks I’m disconnectedHow to use The Mom Test to get truth, not politenessThe insight behind solitude + witness (attachment theory in practice)Product ideas for quiet connection: group journaling hours, anonymous reflections, soft presence signalsA simple founder ritual to stay connected to users, self, and whyChapters 00:00 Intro & hook — “I wasn’t burned out. I was disconnected.”00:27 The silence that scared me02:48 The real problem: who am I building for?05:06 The Mom Test & better questions07:07 9 user calls and what they actually said09:33 The pattern: solitude needs a witness11:58 From isolation to shared solitude (product shift)14:17 Reconnecting to users before features14:45 Listening vs. validation15:53 If you’re stuck: do this next18:05 Building for people, not metricsKeywords (SEO): startup founder, user interviews, The Mom Test, product-market fit, customer discovery, loneliness & belonging, attachment theory, product strategy, Startup Stories & Lessons, Heart Renew.

  6. 10/30/2025

    Full Circle: Pitching Solo in Portugal and Finding Clarity in Imperfection

    What happens when the glossy promise of an event collides with the gritty truth of reality? In this deeply honest episode, Joanna Trojak takes us to Ericeira, Portugal, where she pitched her startup Heart Renew—not with perfect slides, but with a clear why. What began as a retreat that looked stunning online but fell short in real life became an unexpected masterclass in clarity, resilience, and authenticity. Joanna reflects on how imperfect experiences can sharpen your purpose, why honesty beats polish every time, and how founders can extract value even when the container is flawed. If you’ve ever been disappointed by an accelerator, retreat, or “empowerment” event that didn’t live up to its promise, this episode is your reminder that growth doesn’t require perfection—it requires presence. You’ll learn: How to extract value from spaces that don’t match their marketingWhy your why matters more than your slides or polishHow to hold gratitude and disappointment at the same timeWhy your real, unfiltered story is your most powerful strategyKeywords: founder resilience, authenticity, startup lessons, entrepreneurship, solo founder, self-awareness, startup storytelling, female founders, self-dating app, Portugal retreat, founder mindset. Support the show https://app.blissfulheartrenew.com/ https://www.blissfulheartrenew.com/ joannatrojak.com https://www.instagram.com/joannnatrojak/ https://www.instagram.com/heart.renew/

  7. 10/23/2025

    The Science of Solitude: Why Self-Dating Supercharges Your Brain, Business & Well-Being

    s a Saturday night alone a red flag—or a research-backed power move? In this episode, Joanna Trojak unpacks the neuroscience and psychology behind self-dating and explains why chosen solitude is fundamentally different from loneliness. We dig into polyvagal theory, self-compassion research, and attachment science to show how intentional time with yourself lowers stress, boosts creativity, and builds the inner security founders need to make better decisions. You’ll learn seven evidence-based benefits of self-dating—from breaking codependency cycles to improving physical health—plus practical rituals (mindful walks, solo date nights, flow-friendly blocks) you can implement this week. If you’re building a company or a career, this is your cheat code for resilience without burnout. You’ll learn: Why autonomous solitude calms the nervous system and reduces stressHow self-compassion protects against burnout and sharpens judgmentThe link between alone time and breakthrough ideas for entrepreneursTactical, research-backed solo practices you can start todayKeywords: self-dating, solitude, neuroscience, polyvagal theory, self-compassion, attachment theory, founder resilience, creativity, burnout prevention, entrepreneurship. Support the show https://app.blissfulheartrenew.com/ https://www.blissfulheartrenew.com/ joannatrojak.com https://www.instagram.com/joannnatrojak/ https://www.instagram.com/heart.renew/

  8. 10/16/2025

    Beyond Virality: The Hidden Power of Building in Public

    What truly happens when a founder decides to show everything — the wins, the doubts, and the messy middle? In this deeply personal episode, Joanna Trojak, founder of a self-dating app, shares seven powerful lessons from over 100 days of building in public — a journey that began as an experiment in transparency and evolved into a practice of self-awareness, consistency, and authentic connection. This isn’t a story about viral growth or startup hacks. It’s a reflection on what changes when you stop performing success and start showing up truthfully — even when no one’s clapping. Joanna explores: Why consistency builds momentum even when inspiration fadesHow vulnerability connects more than any metric ever couldThe surprising link between founder well-being and product clarityWhy alignment matters more than viralityAnd how your story itself becomes a product of trust and transformationIf you’ve ever struggled with self-doubt, burnout, or the pressure to perform online, this episode will remind you that honesty is the most powerful growth strategy of all. ☕ Grab your coffee, settle in, and listen to a founder strip away the filters to reveal what it really takes to build — in public and within yourself. Support the show https://app.blissfulheartrenew.com/ https://www.blissfulheartrenew.com/ joannatrojak.com https://www.instagram.com/joannnatrojak/ https://www.instagram.com/heart.renew/

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About

After Pitch is the raw, real talk behind building a startup. No sugarcoating, no buzzwords — just honest conversations about the wins, the failures, and everything in between. If you're a founder, dreamer, or builder who craves authenticity over hype, this podcast is for you.  If you have an intresting story to tell and would like to share it on my podcast, email me at podcast@quietlydifferent.app If you are intrested what I am building here is where you can find me: https://quietlydifferent.app/ https://joannatrojak.substack.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/quietly.differentapp LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-trojak/

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