The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth

Molly Knuth
  • 5.0 (40)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth, a podcast for women who are founding and getting found with their businesses online. I'm your host Molly Knuth, and my mission is to help women in rewrite how we live and work on our own terms. We want to grow families, impact others for the better, and be a positive force in our communities…but we also want to have a fulfilling life, ya know? In the past 6 years I've gone from a stay-at-home mom to a freelance social media marketer to a #bossbabe managing client needs, talented team members, and my husband and four kiddos and our little farm in Eastern Iowa. What I've learned in that time is that it's not just about going full force or any one-size-fits-all strategy a business owner. It takes you leaning into your unique gifts, intuition, and goals, and learning about who you are as a person along the way. So come along for lessons and stories from female founders growing and scaling businesses with energetics, tried-and-true tactics, and high-vibe personal growth. Be ready to get found.

  1. 4d ago

    258: In Order to Succeed, Help Others Succeed First: Josie Manternach on Teaching, Military Life, and Making a Difference in Rural Iowa

    I've known Josie Manternach since she was roughly in first grade, and I still learned things about her in this conversation that I didn't know. Josie is an educator by trade, a military spouse, a mom, and now a community impact leader at the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque. But the path that got her there? It's the kind of story that is going to hit differently depending on where you are right now, whether you're holding tightly to a plan that's starting to unravel, or you're on the other side of a pivot wondering how all the pieces are going to fit together. She grew up in Cascade, fell in love with the ag room at Cascade High School, went to Iowa State to become an ag teacher, and had what she thought was her whole life figured out. Then came a retirement, a once-in-a-lifetime job offer, a Navy JAG program acceptance, a cross-country move, a pandemic, a baby, a thesis, and eventually... a path back home that looked different from the one she'd imagined. Every single step of it makes sense when you hear her tell it. What You'll Hear in This Episode: How the ag room at Cascade High School shaped Josie's entire career trajectory (and why belonging matters more than we think) The once-in-a-lifetime job offer that arrived at the exact same moment as her husband's Navy JAG acceptance What it felt like to leave the dream job she thought she'd retire from...at age 24 Life as a military spouse: navigating DC, Florida, a pandemic, a newborn, and starting over more than once How she learned to build community from scratch in places where she didn't know anyone Teaching middle school science in Maryland, working in higher ed in Florida, and what each season taught her Completing a master's thesis through Ohio State while working full time and raising a toddler Her current work at the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque: dyslexia tutoring, rural teacher retention, third grade literacy, and the grad partnership initiative The stat that stopped me cold: 47 students now receiving dyslexia tutoring weekly in Dubuque...where two years ago there were zero local options Resources and Links: Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque: dbqfoundation.org Rural Teacher Summit: coming this summer at Camp Little Cloud in Epworth Contact Josie directly through the Community Foundation website Listen and Subscribe: Spotify Apple Podcasts If Josie's story resonated with you, share it with someone who is in the middle of a plan that just got disrupted. This one is for them.

    43 min

  2. Jun 17

    257: Stand at Your Full Height: Serin Silva on Nervous System Leadership, Energy Work, and the Future of Heart-Centered Business

    I told you this was going to be a different kind of conversation, and I meant it. Serin Silva spent two decades inside high-pressure corporate environments at companies like MSNBC and Hearst, leading integration communications for billion-dollar acquisitions and overseeing a book of business worth $40 million. She was in rooms where she was often the only woman leader, playing a game with rules she didn't write and didn't always like. And then one morning, crossing the Bay Bridge on her commute, a little voice said: how much longer are you going to do this? That question changed everything. Today Serin is an energy healer, psychic medium, ceremonialist, and business strategist who helps women founders get unstuck and move fast. She brings together nervous system regulation, somatic work, intuitive gifts, and Fortune 500 rigor to help her clients find clarity, focus, and in some cases, double their revenue in under a year. This conversation goes everywhere, and I loved every minute of it. Grab a notebook before you press play. What You'll Hear in This Episode: How two decades in Silicon Valley and corporate media shaped Serin's understanding of what women have been asked to suppress at work The morning on the Bay Bridge that changed her life, and what it looked like to follow a voice she'd been ignoring for years What nervous system regulation actually has to do with business results Why heart-centered leadership isn't soft, and how women are already positioned to lead what's coming next The old corporate model (built for making cars, applied to people), why it's dying, and what's replacing it How Serin thinks about AI as a tool for freeing up more humanity, not less What it means to stop shape-shifting and stand at your full height The kaleidoscope analogy that I'm still thinking about Serin's answer to The Found Podcast closing question that genuinely moved us both Connect with Serin: Website: serinsilva.com Free 15-minute business reading Listen and Subscribe: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5YACTbRulN4NooX32NgzgV Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-found-podcast-with-molly-knuth/id1530616432 Have a notebook nearby for this one. Serin asks some questions in this conversation that deserve a real answer, and you'll want to write them down.

    44 min

  3. Jun 10

    256: 10 Things I Know for Certain About Building a Business (Part 2)

    We're back with Part 2 of my two-part series on 10 things I know for certain about building a business, not from books or courses, but from almost a decade of living it. If you missed Part 1, go back and listen to Episode 255 first. We covered lessons one through five, and this episode picks up right where we left off. Today we're finishing out the list with lessons six through ten, and honestly these might be the ones that hit the hardest. We're talking money mindset, why you can't do it alone, what a coach actually does for you, giving yourself full permission to change your mind, and the thing I believe most deeply after all of it: this whole founder journey is personal development first. In This Episode: Lesson 6: Finances can be simple (and the money mantra that changed everything for me) The "money flows like water" mindset shift I learned from CPA Sheila Hansen Gina Knox's money waterfall system and why it finally made my finances click Lesson 7: You will not realize your goals entirely on your own. Bring others along. Lesson 8: You will grow faster and go further with a coach, a mentor, or a consultant in your corner How working with Katrina Klooster changed the trajectory of my 2025-2026 transition How podcasting consultant Jill Carr helped me make clearer decisions about the future of this show Lesson 9: You are allowed to change your mind (Surge, Sierra Mist, and why pivoting isn't failing) Lesson 10: This journey is personal development first and a professional endeavor second   People and Resources Mentioned: Sheila Hansen, CPA (and past Found Podcast guest) Gina Knox, founder of Small Business Money School (also a past Found Podcast guest) Katrina Klooster, life and leadership coach (another Found Podcast guest - Episode 252) Jill Carr, podcasting consultant (and, you guessed it, a Found Podcast guest!) Miranda (the Found Podcast editor who makes it all happen every week!) Find Molly: Website: mollyknuth.com Instagram: @mollyknuth Email: molly@mollyknuthmedia.com Listen and Subscribe: Spotify Apple Podcasts Did something from this episode (or the last one) land for you? I'd genuinely love to hear it. Reach out on Instagram or send me an email and tell me which lesson resonated most. And if you know a founder who needs to hear this... send them both episodes.

    37 min

  4. Jun 3

    255: 10 Things I Know for Certain About Building a Business (Not From Books, But From Living It) Part 1

    It's a solo cast! It has been a while since it was just me and you, and I'm glad to be back in this format because I have some things to say. This episode was sparked by a moment that happened in March of 2026 at the You Conferences in Cedar Rapids. I was the 3:00 PM speaker and somewhere between the nerves and the sound check and a very unexpected karaoke moment involving Gloria Gaynor, something clicked for me about identity, confidence, and what it actually takes to build something from scratch. So I came here to share 10 things I know for certain about building a business. Not from books. Not from courses. From living it, for almost a decade, through the pivots and the wins and the moments I wish I could do over. This is Part 1. We're covering numbers one through five today, and Part 2 (six through ten) drops next week. In This Episode: The karaoke moment at You Conferences that reminded me to trust myself again Lesson 1: You don't need to reinvent the wheel at the beginning (the unsexy foundation every business actually needs) Lesson 2: Slow down. Then go even slower. But don't stop moving. Lesson 3: Your story is your edge (and why it creates fans before it ever creates customers) Lesson 4: Selling isn't yucky. Talk about your offers. All the time. More than you think you should. Lesson 5: You'll only make as much money as you've built capacity for Resources Mentioned: Gina Knox — money management framework for small business owners Chilled Freezer Meals — local and shipped freezer meal delivery Katrina Klooster — life and leadership coach You Conferences Cedar Rapids — annual women's conference Find Molly: Website: mollyknuth.com Instagram: @mollyknuth Listen and Subscribe: Spotify Apple Podcasts Part 2 drops next week. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss it.

    39 min

  5. May 27

    254: USA Today Bestseller to Director of Leadership Formation: Lindsay Leahy on What It Means to Live with Intention

    Lindsay Leahy is back on The Found Podcast for the third time, and this one is unlike any conversation we've had before. You might know Lindsay as the founder of The Restoration Project, the author of Take It All Apart (a USA Today bestseller!), and someone who has spent the last several years helping leaders and organizations do their most meaningful work. But in this episode, Lindsay shares that she's stepping away from what she built, into something she never saw coming. We talk about the book, what happened after it hit those bestseller lists, and the word that started everything this year: beyond. And then we go deeper into where "beyond" has actually led her, which is a brand new role as the Director of Leadership Formation for the Archdiocese of Dubuque. It's unexpected. It's emotional. It's one of the most honest conversations I've had on this podcast.   What You'll Hear in This Episode: The two dark weeks before the book launch that Lindsay didn't expect, and what she found on the other side Client stories from the Take It All Apart process (including Camden, a client stepping into marriage and family while keeping his magic) Lindsay's word of the year: beyond, and the "lay down your nets" moment that changed everything Practical, tactical tools for moving beyond stress, distraction, and busyness (yes, the dumping exercise is back) What it really means to move beyond hustle mode, and why it's ultimately a worthiness issue How a volunteer role inside the Archdiocese of Dubuque turned into a moment she could not say no to What it felt like to surrender a thriving business at the height of its success Why your definition of success doesn't have to look like anyone else's   Resources Mentioned: Take It All Apart by Lindsay Leahy (USA Today Bestseller) The Beyond Series on Lindsay's blog: gritgratitudeandgrace.com Beyond Stress and Distraction Beyond Busyness and Hustle   Connect with Lindsay: Substack: Lindsay M. Leahy Blog: gritgratitudeandgrace.com Website: lindsayleahy.com (coming soon!) LinkedIn: Lindsay Leahy

    51 min

  6. May 20

    253: Stop Tying Your Worth to What You Do: Brooke Fitzgerald on the Path to Enough, Imposter Syndrome & What's Next

    This is Brooke's third time on The Found Podcast. Every time she comes back, she brings something that stops me mid-conversation and makes me reach for my notebook. Brooke Fitzgerald is the Energy Builder at The Restoration Project in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and as of June 1st, she becomes the sole owner of the practice. She's a coach, a speaker, a mom of two boys, a recovering people-pleaser, and one of the most convicted, passionate humans I get to have in my corner. In this episode, we dig into the work that has defined Brooke's last several years, both personally and professionally. We talk about closing a business, rebuilding an identity, and the deeply human question of: who are you when you're not defined by what you do? What You'll Hear in This Episode: How closing her coffee shop became the lowest (and most clarifying) point of Brooke's life What it actually takes to untether your identity from your work (hint: it takes longer than you think, and that's okay) The Path to Enough framework and why enough is a decision, not an amount The question that makes rooms full of women go completely silent: "Who are you when no one needs anything from you?" Why good enough really is good enough, and what we lose when we demand 110% of ourselves constantly Imposter syndrome reframed: it's not a flaw, it's your courage catching up to your capability The SEA tool for moving from imposter to intentional, and a story about a female CEO that will stop you cold What's next for Brooke and The Restoration Project, including fall retreats, empowerment communities, and a November workshop Connect with Brooke: Website: the-restorationproject.com LinkedIn: Brooke Fitzgerald Upcoming Events with Brooke: MWLN Summit — Muscatine, Iowa (June) Fall Women's Retreats — details coming soon Power of No Empowerment Communities — small groups of 6-8 women November Brunch & Learn Workshop — The Path to Enough for Courageous Leaders Listen & Subscribe: Spotify Apple Podcasts If this episode resonated with you, share it with a woman who needs to hear it. And if you're not yet subscribed to The Found Podcast, now's a great time! New episodes drop every Wednesday.

    41 min

  7. May 13

    252: Stop Waiting to Feel Ready: How to Navigate Career Transitions, Burnout, and What's Next with Life Coach Katrina Klooster

    Have you ever stood in the middle of a life that looks really good on paper and still felt like something was off? Like a quiet voice whispering, this isn't it anymore...and you didn't know what to do with that? This week on the Found Podcast, I'm bringing you a conversation with my own coach, Katrina Klooster, and I think this one is going to land somewhere deep for a lot of you. Katrina is a life and leadership coach who specializes in helping high-achieving women navigate transitions, those in-between seasons when you've outgrown where you are but aren't sure where you're going. After nearly 15 years in education (as a high school Spanish teacher and instructional coach), Katrina followed her own winding, messy, non-linear path into building a coaching practice, and she brings all of that lived experience to the women she now serves. In this episode, we talk about: The moment Katrina knew she had outgrown teaching and why it took her so long to trust that feeling Burnout, shingles, and the culture of self-sacrifice we've normalized in education (and beyond) Why your non-linear path is not something to apologize for The 37-38-year-old awakening many women experience and what's actually happening beneath the surface How high-achieving women get stuck in golden handcuffs and what it takes to break free Why most women aren't afraid of failure...and what they're actually afraid of instead The grief that's woven into growth (and why we don't talk about it enough) What Katrina looks for in a coach and how to know if coaching is right for you Connect with Katrina: Website: katrinaklooster.com Instagram: @katrinaklooster (send her a DM!) Listen & Subscribe: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5YACTbRulN4NooX32NgzgV Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-found-podcast-with-molly-knuth/id1530616432 If this conversation resonated with you, share it with a woman in your life who might need to hear it today. And if you're not yet subscribed to The Found Podcast, now is a great time to hit that button so you never miss an episode.

    47 min

  8. May 6

    251: The People Side of Business with Sarah Hermanson

    In this episode of The Found Podcast, Molly sits down with Sarah Hermanson, founder of One Above HR, pumpkin farmer, and people-first leadership expert. With over 30 years of experience in human resources and recruiting, Sarah has seen firsthand what makes businesses thrive and what causes them to struggle. And here's the truth she keeps coming back to: it's not just the product, the service, or the strategy…it's the people. Together, Molly and Sarah explore what it really looks like to build a business rooted in care, communication, and culture, and why those "soft skills" are actually the most powerful drivers of performance, retention, and long-term success. From practical ways to build connection in your workplace, to the surprising impact of nonverbal communication, to the often-avoided (but incredibly important) topic of succession planning, this conversation is full of grounded wisdom you can apply right away. And in true Found Podcast fashion, you'll also hear how Sarah's story weaves together entrepreneurship, family legacy, and a 46-year-old pumpkin farm in rural Iowa. What You'll Hear in This Episode Why "joy at work" isn't fluffy, it's foundational to business success How to build connection with your team in just 5–8 minutes a day The concept of "advanced communication" (and why words aren't enough) Simple body language shifts that can transform how you're perceived Why founders need to think about succession planning sooner than they think How Sarah transitioned from corporate HR to entrepreneurship Lessons from taking over a multi-generational family pumpkin farm What it really means to lead with care, culture, and communication Key Quotes "We don't achieve any of our goals if we aren't approaching them with care." "I can teach you how to do something. I can't teach you how to care." "90,000 hours of our lives are spent at work. Those should be joy-filled hours." Resources & Links Connect with Sarah: sarah@oneabovehr.com Website: One Above HR Sherman's Pumpkin Farm (Manchester, Iowa) Follow Sarah on LinkedIn

    54 min
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5
out of 5
40 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth, a podcast for women who are founding and getting found with their businesses online. I'm your host Molly Knuth, and my mission is to help women in rewrite how we live and work on our own terms. We want to grow families, impact others for the better, and be a positive force in our communities…but we also want to have a fulfilling life, ya know? In the past 6 years I've gone from a stay-at-home mom to a freelance social media marketer to a #bossbabe managing client needs, talented team members, and my husband and four kiddos and our little farm in Eastern Iowa. What I've learned in that time is that it's not just about going full force or any one-size-fits-all strategy a business owner. It takes you leaning into your unique gifts, intuition, and goals, and learning about who you are as a person along the way. So come along for lessons and stories from female founders growing and scaling businesses with energetics, tried-and-true tactics, and high-vibe personal growth. Be ready to get found.

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