Built for This

Carly Pepin

 Where vision meets execution and legacy begins. Built For This is the podcast for founders, business owners, C-Suite Executives, and vision-driven leaders who know their business isn’t just what they do, it’s an extension of who they are. Hosted by business strategist and human behavior specialist Carly Pepin, each episode dives into candid, intelligent conversations with high-performing business owners and executives. These are the real stories behind growth: the pivotal moments, the internal shifts, the strategic moves, and the unseen pressure that comes with building something that lasts. With a sharp eye for strategy and a deep understanding of human behavior, Carly brings out the clarity, conviction, and contradictions that drive exceptional leadership. You’ll hear what’s working, what’s not, and what it actually takes to grow a business without losing yourself in the process. This is where business and personal development meet: honest, direct, and built to bring life to your vision. Whether you’re growing your next big thing or recalibrating to get back on track, Built For This is your space to think, build, and lead with purpose.

  1. Why Most Entrepreneurs Scale Too Wide Too Early with Hadley Nightingale

    1D AGO

    Why Most Entrepreneurs Scale Too Wide Too Early with Hadley Nightingale

    In this episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Hadley Nightingale, CEO of New Zealand Property Buyers, to unpack the realities of building a fast-growing business while navigating some of life’s hardest personal and professional challenges. What started as Hadley’s own property investment journey quickly revealed a major gap in the New Zealand real estate market: buyers lacked true representation and strategic guidance when making one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives. That realization became the foundation for New Zealand Property Buyers, a company designed to help investors confidently navigate property acquisition, renovation, project management, and long-term property management. But this conversation goes far beyond real estate. Carly and Hadley dive deep into the realities of entrepreneurship, including the pressure of scaling too quickly, hiring before systems are ready, and trying to build multiple divisions before the core business is fully stabilized. Hadley also speaks candidly about building a company while navigating divorce, custody battles, financial stress, and immense uncertainty, revealing the emotional resilience required to keep moving forward when life and business collide. The episode also explores remote team culture, accountability, offshore hiring, leadership, and why documented systems and processes become essential as businesses grow. Together, Carly and Hadley unpack what truly creates sustainable success: ownership, consistency, operational clarity, and the willingness to improve imperfectly over time. This episode is an honest and practical look at entrepreneurship without the highlight reel, showing that long-term growth is rarely linear, but it is possible when resilience and systems work together.   Key Themes: Scaling Too Wide Too Early: Why trying to grow multiple divisions before stabilizing the core business creates unnecessary pressure and complexity. Systems Create Sustainable Growth: How SOPs, playbooks, and operational processes transformed hiring, delegation, and team performance. Resilience Over Perfection: Why entrepreneurship is often about continuing forward through uncertainty, setbacks, and imperfect conditions.   Memorable Quotes: “People want the perfect house, but the perfect house never comes along.” “If anything goes wrong, just put your hand up and say, ‘Hey look, I got this wrong.’” “Better processes, better people. Better processes, better people. It’s just how it works.”   About Hadley Nightingale: Hadley Nightingale is the CEO of New Zealand Property Buyers, a rapidly growing property investment company founded in 2020. Under his leadership, the business has scaled quickly, helping hundreds of clients acquire and manage investment properties across New Zealand while operating with a remote team across New Zealand and Southeast Asia. New Zealand Property Buyers offers a fully integrated, end-to-end investment service covering acquisition, renovation, compliance project management, and ongoing property management. Hadley’s focus is on helping investors avoid costly mistakes while creating systems and operational structures that allow businesses and people to scale sustainably.   Connect with Hadley Nightingale: https://www.newzealandpropertybuyers.com/ https://www.instagram.com/hadleynightingale/ https://www.tiktok.com/@hadleynightingale https://www.linkedin.com/in/hadleyn/ https://www.facebook.com/Newzealandpropertybuyer/

    58 min
  2. Why More CEOs Are Hiring Chiefs of Staff with Keziah Wonstolen

    4D AGO

    Why More CEOs Are Hiring Chiefs of Staff with Keziah Wonstolen

    In this episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Keziah Wonstolen, founder of Vannin Chief of Staff, to explore why the chief of staff role has become one of the fastest-growing and most valuable positions in modern business leadership. Drawing from her background at Accenture and her own experience serving as a chief of staff, Keziah shares how she built a company dedicated to helping CEOs scale more effectively through operational support, strategic execution, and leadership alignment. What began as a fractional consulting model evolved into one of North America’s leading chief of staff talent providers before eventually being acquired by the Chief of Staff Association. The conversation dives into the critical differences between executive assistants, chiefs of staff, and COOs, and why more founders, private equity firms, and scaling companies are turning to chiefs of staff to operationalize vision, manage change, and improve organizational execution. Carly and Keziah also unpack the realities of growth, implementing frameworks like EOS and Scaling Up, building intentional culture, and creating structures that allow leaders to spend more time in their zone of genius rather than drowning in operational complexity. Keziah also opens up about the deeply personal experiences that pushed her toward entrepreneurship and her passion for helping leaders reclaim their most valuable resource: time. This episode is a practical and insightful look at modern leadership, operational scale, and why the right support structure can completely transform a company’s growth trajectory.   Key Themes: Vision Needs Structure: Why even the strongest leaders need systems, accountability, and operational support to scale effectively. Time Is the Ultimate Asset: How chiefs of staff help executives focus on high-value work while reducing operational overwhelm. Culture Must Be Operationalized: Why values should shape hiring, communication, accountability, and leadership behaviors across the business.   Memorable Quotes: “Leaders are managing more change than they ever have in the past.” “Time is not a renewable resource.” “The chief of staff takes this ambiguous challenge, creates structure around it, and turns it into something executable.”   About Keziah Wonstolen: Keziah Wonstolen is an award-winning entrepreneur and management consultant based in Denver, Colorado. After spending 13 years at Accenture, where she advised global organizations on operational strategy and leadership effectiveness, she founded Vannin Chief of Staff to help executives scale more efficiently and build stronger operational foundations. Through Vannin, Keziah and her team specialized in supporting private equity firms, portfolio companies, and family offices, helping leaders optimize execution, improve alignment, and build scalable leadership structures. Her work has earned recognition including the Denver Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 and participation in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. Today, she is recognized as a leading voice in the evolving chief of staff space and continues shaping how modern organizations approach executive leadership and operational strategy.   Connect with Keziah Wonstolen: https://www.vanninchiefofstaff.com/

    53 min
  3. Buddy Teaster on Why the Best Charity Models Create Entrepreneurs

    MAY 14

    Buddy Teaster on Why the Best Charity Models Create Entrepreneurs

    In this episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Buddy Teaster, President and CEO of Soles4Souls, to explore how business principles can create sustainable social impact around the world. Buddy shares how Soles4Souls evolved from a disaster-relief nonprofit into a global organization focused on creating economic opportunity through entrepreneurship. Rather than relying solely on traditional charity models, Soles4Souls helps people, especially women in developing countries, build businesses using donated shoes and clothing as inventory. The result is not just aid, but ownership, dignity, and long-term transformation for families and communities. The conversation dives into the difference between handouts and empowerment, why entrepreneurship restores hope, and how even small economic opportunities can completely change the trajectory of future generations. Buddy also opens up about the major organizational turnaround he led after joining Soles4Souls in 2012, including rebuilding company culture, implementing operational discipline, strengthening leadership systems, and scaling global logistics operations. Carly and Buddy explore the realities of leading a mission-driven organization, the complexity of sustainable nonprofit growth, and why emotional storytelling must be paired with strong systems and accountability to create lasting impact. This episode is a powerful look at leadership, purpose, operational excellence, and how entrepreneurship can become one of the most effective tools for fighting poverty.   Key Themes: Empowerment Over Dependency: Why creating entrepreneurs leads to more sustainable impact than traditional aid alone. Purpose Requires Systems: How operational discipline, leadership alignment, and accountability helped transform Soles4Souls into a global movement. Culture Drives Mission: Why intentional communication, shared values, and leadership consistency are essential for long-term impact.   Memorable Quotes: “When a woman is a customer and not a recipient, it is a big deal.” “Most of it is not the mission that you’re thinking. It’s work.” “If we can be a small part of helping create something that allows her to stay in her community where she is respected and participates, that is amazing.”   About Buddy Teaster: Buddy Teaster is the President and CEO of Soles4Souls, a global nonprofit dedicated to creating opportunities through shoes and clothing. Under his leadership, the organization has distributed more than 103 million pairs of shoes and garments across 137 countries through both relief efforts and sustainable micro-enterprise programs. Known for blending philanthropy with entrepreneurship and operational excellence, Buddy has helped transform Soles4Souls into one of the most respected nonprofit organizations in the world, earning recognition as one of The Nonprofit Times’ Best Nonprofits to Work For multiple years in a row. He is also the host of the re:Purpose podcast and author of Shoestrings and From Tailspin to Tailwind.   Connect with Buddy Teaster: https://soles4souls.org/ https://amzn.to/49KXkAy https://www.linkedin.com/in/buddyteaster/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/soles4souls-inc-/posts/?feedView=all https://www.instagram.com/soles4souls/ https://www.facebook.com/Soles4Souls

    56 min
  4. How to Build Marketing for an Industry That Hates Change with Mark Kenigsberg

    MAY 11

    How to Build Marketing for an Industry That Hates Change with Mark Kenigsberg

    In this episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Mark Kenigsberg, VP at Azami, to explore what it really takes to transform a traditional sales-led organization into a scalable, product-led growth business. Mark shares how he joined Azami, a legal tech company specializing in intellectual property and patent software, during a period of major organizational change. Instead of focusing solely on short-term marketing campaigns, the company invested heavily in rebuilding systems, aligning teams, and deeply understanding customer behavior before aggressively scaling growth efforts. Carly and Mark unpack how marketing can become a catalyst for company-wide transformation, not just lead generation. From rebuilding CRM and revenue systems to aligning departments around shared customer outcomes rather than isolated KPIs, Mark explains how sustainable growth requires operational alignment and cultural change. The conversation also dives into the challenge of marketing innovation to a naturally risk-averse audience. Through webinars, education, thought leadership, and direct customer conversations, Azami introduced new technology in a way that felt collaborative rather than disruptive. Along the way, they explore broader themes around product-led culture, customer-centric growth, AI in legal tech, and why businesses often lose sight of the humans behind the metrics they measure. This episode is a thoughtful look at systems thinking, leadership, and how companies create sustainable growth by aligning around genuine customer value.   Key Themes: Systems Before Scale: Why rebuilding operational foundations and customer journeys is essential before pursuing aggressive growth. Product-Led Growth Is Cultural: How shifting from sales-led to product-led requires changes in mindset, onboarding, retention, and customer success. Customer Outcomes Drive Growth: Why businesses scale faster when incentives align around helping customers succeed.   Memorable Quotes: “Revenue is an ecosystem rather than four departments.” “When incentives align, growth happens naturally.” “KPIs are meant to be a measure of how well we serve customers.”   About Mark Kenigsberg: Mark Kenigsberg is a marketing and growth leader focused on aligning systems, incentives, and teams around long-term value creation. He has led go-to-market and transformation initiatives across health, legal tech, and global digital businesses, helping organizations balance innovation, trust, and scalable growth. His work specializes in integrating sales-led and product-led growth models without disrupting the systems already working inside organizations. Mark also publishes the Product Marketing Weekly newsletter and regularly speaks internationally on growth strategy, marketing transformation, and organizational alignment.   Connect with Mark Kenigsberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marckenigsberg/ https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7211059272065941504/

    51 min
  5. The Future of IT with Chris Farr: Cybersecurity, AI, and Human Connection

    MAY 7

    The Future of IT with Chris Farr: Cybersecurity, AI, and Human Connection

    In this episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Chris Farr, VP of Operations at Envision Technologies, to explore how the IT industry has evolved from reactive “break-fix” support into a strategic partnership that directly impacts business growth, cybersecurity, and operational efficiency. Chris shares his journey from hands-on network engineer to operational leader, reflecting on what it has taken to help scale Envision from a single-location managed service provider into a growing multi-location technology integrator serving businesses across Georgia. The conversation dives into leadership, accountability, and operational clarity inside a scaling organization. Chris explains how adopting EOS principles helped improve delegation, ownership, and internal communication while maintaining a strong service culture. Carly and Chris also unpack the rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape, including phishing attacks, ransomware, employee training, cyber insurance requirements, and why businesses of every size are now potential targets. They also discuss the power of a white-glove, concierge-style approach to IT, where the goal is not simply fixing technical issues, but becoming a trusted strategic partner that helps businesses operate more efficiently, securely, and with less friction. This episode is a practical look at leadership, scaling operations, cybersecurity, customer experience, and the systems that support long-term business growth.   Key Themes: IT as Strategic Partnership: Why the best technology providers go beyond support and become trusted business advisors. Scaling Through Systems: How EOS and accountability structures helped create clarity and operational efficiency during growth. Cybersecurity Is Everyone’s Responsibility: Why employee education, proactive monitoring, and cloud security are now critical for every business.   Memorable Quotes: “If the clients aren’t happy, we don’t have a job.” “We take the white-glove concierge approach.” “You go out and do what you do best. Let us do what we do best.”   About Chris Farr: Chris Farr has more than 20 years of experience in IT and over a decade of leadership within the Managed Service Provider (MSP) industry. Throughout his career, he has helped businesses leverage technology to operate more securely, efficiently, and strategically. Having worked through the rapid evolution of IT, from early infrastructure environments to today’s cloud-driven and cybersecurity-focused landscape, Chris brings a practical, real-world perspective to technology leadership. He is passionate about guiding organizations through IT challenges, building strong teams, and helping businesses understand the strategic role technology plays in growth and risk management.   Connect with Chris Farr: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-farr-409b3585/ https://amzn.to/4dIsKdg

    52 min
  6. From TV Producer to CEO: Building a Business That Actually Matters with Shari Cedar

    MAY 4

    From TV Producer to CEO: Building a Business That Actually Matters with Shari Cedar

    In this episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Shari Cedar, CEO and co-owner of AK Building Services, to explore what it really takes to build and scale a people-driven business over the long term. Shari shares her unconventional journey from a successful career in television production to co-building a commercial cleaning company alongside her husband. What began as a gradual transition evolved into a 25-year leadership journey, growing a company that now supports a team of hundreds in a demanding and highly regulated industry. The conversation unpacks the realities of scaling beyond the early stages of business. Shari explains how the discipline of production, preparation, execution, and continuous refinement, became the foundation for building strong operational systems and sustainable growth. Carly and Shari also explore the challenges of maintaining culture across a distributed, night-shift workforce, and why connection must be created intentionally through communication, leadership presence, and consistent human interaction. This episode offers a grounded perspective on leadership, showing that real growth is not just about expanding revenue or headcount. It is about building systems that support scale, developing people who can lead independently, and creating a business that can thrive beyond its founders.   Key Themes: Systems Before Scale: Why strong processes and infrastructure are essential for sustainable growth. Intentional Culture: How to build connection and belonging across dispersed teams. Leadership Through Trust: Why letting go and empowering others is critical to long-term success.   Memorable Quotes: “If you have your hands on everything, then you’re doing nothing.” “We are a partner, not a vendor.” “Growth is great, but it’s a double-edged sword.”   About Shari Cedar: Shari Cedar is the CEO and Co-Owner of AK Building Services, a leading family-owned commercial janitorial company based in Florida. With more than 25 years of experience, she has built her career around leadership, operational excellence, and creating opportunities for her team. Before entering the commercial cleaning industry, Shari worked in television production, an experience that shaped her approach to leadership and execution. Today, she is actively involved in industry and community organizations, including BOMA, CREW Network, and the Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, while also serving on multiple nonprofit and advisory boards. A dedicated leader and working mother of two, Shari is passionate about building businesses that create meaningful impact for both people and the communities they serve.   Connect with Shari Cedar: http://www.akbuildingservices.com

    52 min
  7. From Awareness to Action: The Science of Behavior Change Marketing with Tim Berney

    APR 30

    From Awareness to Action: The Science of Behavior Change Marketing with Tim Berney

    In this insightful episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Tim Berney, founder and CEO of VI Marketing and Branding, to explore how marketing can go beyond visibility and actually influence real human behavior. With more than three decades of experience, Tim shares how his work has shifted from traditional awareness campaigns to behavior-driven strategies that shape decisions, habits, and even societal norms. From early recycling initiatives to large-scale water conservation campaigns that saved billions of gallons, he explains how small, consistent actions, when scaled, can create extraordinary impact. Carly and Tim break down the science behind behavior change marketing, including the role of data, modeling behavior, and crafting messaging that resonates both individually and collectively. They also explore how creative execution plays a critical role in driving results, and why even the best strategy falls flat without ideas that connect emotionally. Beyond marketing, the conversation expands into leadership, culture, and the future of the industry. Tim shares how he built a company grounded in continuous learning, intentional communication, and long-term thinking, while also offering his perspective on how AI is reshaping the marketing landscape. This episode is a thoughtful look at how marketing, when done well, becomes a powerful force for meaningful change.   Key Themes: Marketing That Changes Behavior: Why true impact comes from influencing decisions and actions, not just awareness. Small Actions, Big Results: How incremental behavior shifts can scale into significant societal impact. Creative Drives Results: Why emotionally resonant messaging is essential for long-term engagement and action.   Memorable Quotes: “We’re not just trying to get people to buy something… we’re trying to change behaviors.” “If we’re not driving results for our clients, then we shouldn’t have a job.” “There’s no substitute for creative that actually resonates and motivates people to act.”   About Tim Berney: Tim Berney is the Founder and CEO of VI Marketing and Branding, a nationally recognized agency focused on marketing that drives real behavior change. Over more than 30 years, he has grown the company from a $1,300 startup into a multi-million-dollar firm serving clients across healthcare, public health, travel, and commercial sectors. His work centers on helping organizations move beyond awareness to influence real decisions, with a strong focus on trust, credibility, and human-centered strategy. Tim is also a frequent contributor to leading business and marketing publications and is widely recognized for his insights on leadership, brand credibility, and the evolving role of AI in marketing.   Connect with Tim Berney: https://www.vimarketingandbranding.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/timberney/ https://www.instagram.com/thevibrand/

    53 min
  8. The Truth About AI, SEO, and What Actually Drives Growth with Laurent Cohen

    APR 27

    The Truth About AI, SEO, and What Actually Drives Growth with Laurent Cohen

    In this forward-thinking episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Laurent Cohen, a serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience building and scaling businesses across multiple industries, to explore what truly drives growth in the age of AI. Laurent shares a candid perspective on entrepreneurship as a mindset rooted in creativity, risk-taking, and constant reinvention. At the center of the conversation is his latest venture, a voice-first AI platform, and a key realization that shifted his entire approach: the real value of the business is not the technology itself, but the trust it creates between companies and their customers. Carly and Laurent dive into how AI is reshaping business, while also reinforcing a fundamental truth: AI is just a tool. The real advantage comes from understanding customer behavior, leveraging data effectively, and creating meaningful interactions at scale. The conversation expands into SEO, product development, and growth strategy, with a strong emphasis on validating ideas through real customer conversations rather than building in isolation. Laurent also introduces the concept of playing the “infinite game” in business, focusing on long-term value instead of short-term wins. This episode offers a grounded yet strategic perspective on navigating a rapidly evolving landscape, showing that even as technology advances, the fundamentals remain unchanged: understand your customer, build trust, and execute with clarity.   Key Themes: Trust Over Technology: Why the real product behind AI solutions is the trust they create with customers. Data as the Advantage: How capturing and learning from user behavior drives better performance than technology alone. Validate Before You Build: Why real conversations with customers outperform assumptions and over-engineering.   Memorable Quotes: “The more you work with AI, the less you focus on AI.” “At the end of the day, you need to have customers. AI is not buying your service.” “We thought we were building voice AI… but what we’re really building is trust.”   About Laurent Cohen: Laurent Cohen is a serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience building and scaling companies across industries including environment, cosmetics, e-commerce, SaaS, and AI. He has founded and led multiple multi-million-dollar businesses in both France and the United States, managing international operations, complex regulatory environments, and global distribution across more than ten countries. Today, Laurent is the founder of GetOblic, a voice-first AI platform for local businesses, which he is building as a bootstrapped venture. His approach centers on leverage over capital, validating ideas before investment, designing profitable systems early, and building companies grounded in clarity, execution, and long-term value.   Connect with Laurent Cohen: https://getoblic.com/?ref=ilkvvwxqtyghnvwpthre

    59 min
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About

 Where vision meets execution and legacy begins. Built For This is the podcast for founders, business owners, C-Suite Executives, and vision-driven leaders who know their business isn’t just what they do, it’s an extension of who they are. Hosted by business strategist and human behavior specialist Carly Pepin, each episode dives into candid, intelligent conversations with high-performing business owners and executives. These are the real stories behind growth: the pivotal moments, the internal shifts, the strategic moves, and the unseen pressure that comes with building something that lasts. With a sharp eye for strategy and a deep understanding of human behavior, Carly brings out the clarity, conviction, and contradictions that drive exceptional leadership. You’ll hear what’s working, what’s not, and what it actually takes to grow a business without losing yourself in the process. This is where business and personal development meet: honest, direct, and built to bring life to your vision. Whether you’re growing your next big thing or recalibrating to get back on track, Built For This is your space to think, build, and lead with purpose.

Information

  • Creator
    Carly Pepin
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    49
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Built for This