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What does it look like to build something big without chasing the noise?

This week, I’m sitting down with Ashtyn Pharis, founder of Pilates by Ashtyn, the largest Pilates studio in Ohio, to talk about the long game of building: discipline, identity, and knowing when to go all in… and when to walk away.

We unpack her path from elite athletics to heavy weightlifting, shutting down a decade-long online fitness business, and rebuilding from the ground up with a business rooted in relationships not transactions. We also talk about control, scaling, burnout, and why the client experience matters more than trends, algorithms, or competition.

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We weren’t planning on dropping another episode before the new year, but when the timing feels right, you listen.

This is a special holiday re-share of my conversation with Vanessa Torres from Freedom a la Cart, an organization doing some of the most important, powerful work in our community.

In this episode, Vanessa shares her personal story of surviving human trafficking and what real healing actually looks like when someone is met with safety, employment, community, and time. We talk about trauma bonds, recovery, motherhood, and the long road back to trust. Both in others and in yourself. It’s honest, heavy at times, and deeply human.

We’re bringing this conversation back right now because Freedom a la Cart, like many nonprofits, was recently denied grant funding they were counting on. In response, their team launched an end-of-year giving campaign to help bridge the gap and continue supporting survivors during a season when the need is especially real.

If this episode moves you, you’ll find a link to their Freedom Matters campaign below. Whether you give, share, or simply listen with intention. Every bit of support matters.

✨ Learn more or support their campaign here: https://freedomalacart.org/freedom-matters/

Thank you for being here and for being part of a community that shows up when it counts.

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It’s just you and me today, friend—and this one has been a long time coming. I’m giving you the full behind-the-scenes download on everything we’ve been building: why the show has been quiet, what’s happening inside our tiny-but-mighty team, and why 2026 is about to be our biggest year yet.

I’m also breaking down the heartbeat of all of it: Mental Athleticism. How I use it. Why it matters. And how it became the foundation for the B10 Challenge (starting January 12) and the Build Your Empire Immersion we’re launching early next year.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or convinced your dream is “for other people,” I promise you’re not alone. I talk about my own moments of doubt, the quote that pulls me off the ledge every time, and why everything feels impossible… until it doesn’t.

Grab your coffee, settle in, and let’s dive into what’s coming, what’s changing, and how you can be part of it. Let’s keep moving, baby.

👉 Reserve your spot for The B10 Challenge

👉 Learn more about The B10 Challenge

👉 Apply for The BYE Immersion

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This Halloween, we’re taking you inside Columbus’s viral goth bakery—Bite This—where the bagels are skull-shaped, the playlists are heavy metal, and the owner, Annie Dixon, is redefining what it means to build a brand with bite.

In this raw and wildly fun conversation, Annie opens up about her journey from elder emo to entrepreneur — including the dark humor, brutal honesty, and radical self-acceptance that fuel her success.

You’ll hear:

• How Annie built Bite This, the goth bakery everyone’s lining up for
• The story behind her viral Skull “Reapers” and bagel bombs
• The truth about addiction, recovery, and rebuilding your life
• The business lessons she’s learning while scaling a cult favorite

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a creative, or just someone who loves a good comeback story — this one’s got layers. (Like a killer brownie.)

Connect with Annie:
Bite This: https://www.bitethisbyannie.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bitethisbyannie/

Connect with Keri:
Watch this episode: https://www.kericroft.com/podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekericroftshow

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In this kickoff episode, The Riveter’s Amy Nelson joins Keri Croft to launch The Brave Shift Live Series—a brand-new collaboration between The Riveter and The B Lab that helps people in business build through the mess.

Together, Keri and Amy go deep on what it really means to make a brave shift—the kind that changes everything. From career pivots and business reinvention to mindset and mental athleticism, this episode explores how to listen to your intuition, reset your focus, and build through change with clarity and courage.

✨ Inside this episode:

• The story behind The Riveter x The B Lab collaboration
• What “The Brave Shift” means—and how to know if you’re in one
• Keri’s personal journey through a Brave Shift
• Amy’s evolution through growth, loss, and reinvention
• Frameworks like The Focus Formula, Internal + External Audits, and DOT (Do One Thing)
• A first look at The B10 Challenge and how to join

Whether you’re pivoting, rebuilding, or just ready for more alignment in your life—this episode will remind you that you’re not alone, and that you can build through anything.

Listen, subscribe, and join the Brave Shift movement:
→ The Riveter
→ The B Lab newsletter
→ Follow @TheKeriCroftShow on Instagram for updates

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This week, I’m sitting down with Joel Furno, the founder of Citrin—a valet company that started with $200 and a dream—and now employs over 700 people across the country. But this episode isn’t just about business growth. It’s about personal growth.

Joel gets real about the shadows behind success—depression, marriage struggles, and what happens when achievement isn’t enough—and how a single psychedelic journey cracked him wide open. We go there: the messy middle of building a company, the healing work that saved his marriage, and why true leadership always starts within.

We talk about:
⚡ How he built a multimillion-dollar company while still in college
⚡ Why employee-first culture is his secret weapon
⚡ The spiritual awakening that changed his life—and his marriage
⚡ The role psychedelics can play in healing trauma and addiction
⚡ Why “marriage coaching” might just be your next power move

This one’s deep, funny, and brutally honest—the kind of conversation that reminds you success means nothing if you don’t know yourself.

💡 If this episode lit a fire under you to get more intentional about how you lead, build, or pivot—come hang with me inside The B Lab. It’s where brave entrepreneurs go to get unstuck, sharpen their vision, and build something meaningful. Interested? Email me at keri@theblab.co.

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Everyone’s out here glued to their follower count like it’s the stock market. But let me hit you with some truth: likes don’t pay the bills. Revenue does.

In this Ask Amy x The Keri Croft Show mashup, Amy Nelson and I go all in on the difference between chasing vanity metrics and actually building a business that works. We dig into:

✨ The wild ROI of email marketing (and why it’s still the most underrated tool in the game)
✨ How effort—not excuses—is the edge you’ve been missing
✨ Why growth mindset beats “safe and stuck” every single time
✨ What it really looks like to start over, pivot, and create something better

And in case you missed it—Amy drops something big in this episode: she’s officially working with The B Lab. Why? Because even after building The Riveter and leading massive teams, she knows it’s never too late to shift gears, find clarity, and build something new that actually fires you up.

This one’s for anyone who’s tired of feeling stuck on the content hamster wheel and ready to put their energy into what actually moves the needle.

So quit obsessing over followers. Start building revenue. Let’s go. ⚡️

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Let’s just call it like it is—Troy Allen has a reputation. Some people call him a visionary. Others? An a**hole.

On this week’s episode, I sit down with the man behind Pins, 16-Bit, and some of the biggest nightlife and entertainment concepts in Columbus and beyond. Troy’s been building incredible brands people actually feel for decades—and he’s not afraid to ruffle feathers along the way.

We talk about the highs, the hits, and the hard truths that come with being known as a controversial leader. From losing his marriage and shutting down concepts, to reinventing brands and confronting depression head-on, Troy opens up about his reputation, how he’s evolved, and what he’s learned from both failure and success.

And for everyone asking—yes, we get into the future of The Bogey project. But I'm not spilling the tea here—you'll have to tune in for that 😉.

This conversation is raw, real, and full of the kind of unfiltered honesty you don’t get from most business leaders. Whether you think Troy’s misunderstood or just brutally direct, you’ll hear a side of him you’ve never seen before.

Because at the end of the day, building big shit isn’t about playing nice—it’s about being all in or getting out.