CALLING ALL COACHES: What if your coaching practice felt sustainable, values-aligned, and deeply yours? Join feminist coaches Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown for a free workshop on Feb. 25th to learn 3 essentials for building a practice that lasts, and to draft your own liberatory coaching manifesto. Sign up at https://messyliberation.com/

👉 Capacity for Conflict workshop on March 11, 2026: https://feministfounders.co/workshop/

What does it actually look like to live your values — not in theory, but in the middle of a messy, real-life situation?

In this conversation, Becky and Faith unpack a recent experience that brought questions of mutual aid, identity, power, and discomfort to the surface. After an unexpected financial crisis, their community rallied to offer support — and what followed was a deeply honest exploration of what it means to ask for help, receive care, and navigate the complicated feelings that come with both.

Together, they reflect on the emotional and relational layers that surfaced: fears about perception, internalized narratives around self-sufficiency, the tension between gratitude and vulnerability, and the ways discomfort can be a doorway to growth rather than something to avoid.

They also introduce a framework for understanding conflict and discomfort through three key relationships — with ourselves, with others and power, and with the problem itself — offering listeners practical ways to approach hard moments with more curiosity and compassion.

If you’ve ever struggled to ask for support, worried about how you’re perceived, or wondered how to live your values when things get complicated, this episode offers both resonance and reflection.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why discomfort isn’t a problem to solve — it’s information
• The emotional realities of mutual aid and community support
• How identity and stereotype threat can shape our responses to crisis
• What it means to receive help without shame
• Navigating fears of judgment, performativity, or “getting it wrong”
• The difference between charity and collective care
• How power dynamics show up in everyday situations
• Practicing liberatory values in imperfect, real-time ways
• A framework for working with conflict through relationship awareness
• Moving from judgment to curiosity when discomfort arises

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What does it actually look like to design a business that supports your capacity — instead of constantly stretching it?

In this episode of Feminist Founders, Becky Mollenkamp sits down with Tracie Root, founder of the Gather Community, to explore the tension so many entrepreneurs feel between showing up for clients and creating space for themselves.

They talk about what happens when a business grows out of community and starts to feel more transactional, how hustle culture conditioning shows up even when we intellectually reject it, and why rebuilding capacity is an ongoing process — not a quick fix.

Together they explore:

• The difference between doing and being in leadership
• Designing systems that reduce burnout
• Why asking for help can feel exhausting
• The emotional weight of keeping promises to clients
• Boundaries, spaciousness, and redefining responsibility
• How community businesses evolve over time
• Practical ways to create breathing room without breaking commitments

Tracie shares how her goal for the year is to feel more expansive — and what that means in real terms, from looking at her calendar differently to rethinking how support shows up in her business.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that sustainable leadership isn’t about doing less — it’s about designing differently.

If you’re a founder who wants to build a business rooted in care, integrity, and capacity, this episode will meet you exactly where you are.

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🔥 Meet Tracie Root – Your Guide to Living Boldly! 🔥
https://www.tracieroot.com/

Some people wait for life to happen. Tracie Root makes life happen.

After a devastating loss turned her world upside down, Tracie didn’t just rebuild—she reinvented herself. She faced financial crisis, single parenthood, and uncertainty head-on, choosing bold action over fear. What emerged was a woman on a mission—to help others step into their power, take charge of their future, and create success on their terms.

For over thirteen years, Tracie has inspired and coached women entrepreneurs nationwide, guiding them to break through barriers and build structured, sustainable, and thriving businesses. As the visionary force behind The Gather Community, she transformed in-person events into a powerful nationwide movement, connecting ambitious women who are ready to go all in.

Whether she’s lighting up the stage as a speaker, leading game-changing masterminds, or championing women to take BOLD, decisive action, Tracie’s energy is contagious.

When she’s not coaching or speaking, you’ll find her soaking up the Santa Cruz sunshine with her husband and their four-legged sidekick.

💡 Are you ready to think bigger, dream bolder, and take action? Then Tracie Root is the woman you need to meet!

In this episode of Feminist Founders, Becky Mollenkamp and Faith Clarke sit down with Angela Johnson, a trauma-informed marketing strategist and educator, for an honest conversation about capacity, mental health, and what it really looks like to divest from hustle culture without blowing up your livelihood.

Angela reflects on nearly two decades in business, the weight of self-blame when income fluctuates, and the slow, deliberate work of deconditioning from capitalist and patriarchal “shoulds.” Together, they explore parts work, neurodivergence, dopamine-seeking brains, and how founders can redesign their businesses around compassion, curiosity, creativity, and connection — not constant optimization.

This is a conversation about letting go, staying human, and choosing systems that support your nervous system instead of punishing it.

What we talk about
• Why burnout isn’t a productivity problem — it’s a systems problem
• How self-blame quietly becomes the default business model
• Divesting from hustle culture without abandoning financial reality
• Parts work, internalized “manager” voices, and listening to your true self
• Neurodivergence, dopamine, and why consistency can feel impossible
• Why fewer metrics — and different ones — can lead to more peace
• Building capacity without treating rest like a reward
• Redesigning your business around mental health, not endurance
• Letting go of social media and returning to relationship-based marketing
• Why “doing less” can actually make your business more sustainable

ABOUT ANGELA JOHNSON
Angela Johnson is known for helping rebel entrepreneurs turn their genius into a signature body of work and amplify their thought leadership using her simple one-page marketing plan. She has taught over 3,000 business owners how to stop chasing the algorithm and fitting into one-size-fits-all formulas by crafting a compelling message without using pain points or big promises.

With a Master of Professional Communication, her IRB-approved research on how trauma impacts small-business owners is an anchor of her work. Her trauma-informed approach is the antidote for equity-centered businesses that are dedicated to leading with their values in a world where honoring humanity is a radical act of resistance.

Angela has shared stages with thought leaders including Elizabeth Gilbert, Lynn Twist, and Lisa Nichols. Beyond her work as an adjunct professor and entrepreneur, she is happiest when she is creating anything with her hands, from painting, embroidery, and pottery to gardening. Angela lives on the stolen land of the Goshute Nation in Utah, with her partner of over 20 years, where together they spoil their rescue dog, who is the queen of the house.

Connect with Angela at www.angelamjohnson.com.

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