Built for the Edge: Business Strategy, Leadership & Business Performance for Entrepreneurs

What if you've been consistently publishing podcast episodes, growing your downloads, and showing up behind the mic, but your podcast still isn't generating clients, revenue, or opportunities for your business? For many entrepreneurs, podcasting becomes another piece of content to produce every week. But how often do we actually stop to look at what our podcast is doing within our business, how people are finding it, and whether it's positioned to support long-term growth? In this episode of Built for the Edge, Kehla sits down with Jan Ditchfield, Canadian podcast business strategist and host of Top Ranked, to explore how women entrepreneurs can leverage podcast SEO, chart rankings, and strategic content to turn their shows into valuable business assets. Together, they unpack the difference between podcast downloads and chart rankings, why treating a podcast like social media content limits its potential, and how to position your show at the centre of your business ecosystem so that it supports visibility, authority, and client acquisition. In this episode, you'll hear: Why podcast downloads and chart rankings measure different things, and what that means for your growth strategy. How podcast SEO and searchable episode titles help new listeners discover your expertise. Why your podcast content needs to connect to your offers and the people you actually want to work with. The three types of podcast episodes Jan recommends for attracting listeners, building authority, and developing trust. How listener retention, episode length, and strategically placed calls to action influence conversions. Why repurposing old episodes, blogging, and evergreen content can help your podcast continue working even when you're not actively publishing. Kehla also shares her experience of podcasting since 2019, building a library of more than 550 episodes, and preparing to step away for maternity leave. This opens up a conversation about sustainability and what it actually means to build something that can continue generating value without requiring your constant involvement. If you've been wondering why your podcast isn't growing the way you expected, how to get your show onto the podcast charts, or whether the time you're investing is producing meaningful business results, this conversation will give you a different way to evaluate what you've already built and where to focus next. Connect with Jan Ditchfield 🎙️ Podcast: Top Ranked — Jan Ditchfield's podcast on podcast marketing, growth, and building authority. 🌐 Website: https://www.janditchfield.co/ 📈 Free Podcast Chart Challenge: https://www.janditchfield.co/chart 👥 Join The Show: https://www.janditchfield.co/theshow — Jan's free podcast business mastermind for women entrepreneurs.

After a few months away from recording solo episodes, Kehla is back with a very real update on what has changed behind the scenes — and why her relationship with work, entrepreneurship and capacity looks different than it did earlier this year. In this episode, she reflects on moving through several major life transitions at once, what stepping away from her usual pace has allowed her to see, and the questions she’s now asking about what actually governs the way we work, make decisions and determine what we have the capacity to hold. There isn’t a neat conclusion because she’s still in the middle of it. This is a conversation about what she’s noticing now — and where Built for the Edge is going next as the podcast approaches 600 episodes. Follow Kehla on Instagram: @kehlag Kehla’s website: www.kehlag.com

Your business might be generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue, but how much of that money are you actually keeping? In this episode of Built for the Edge, I'm joined by Pam Ivey, business and marketing strategist, educator, and founder of Profitable on Purpose, for a conversation about what it really takes to build a profitable business. Because generating more revenue doesn't automatically mean you're making more money. When your expenses increase, your offers become more demanding to deliver, and your time is consumed by the day-to-day operations, growth can actually make your business less profitable. Pam and I get into why looking at your bank account isn't enough, what you need to be measuring, and how the decisions you're making—or avoiding—directly influence your bottom line. In this episode, we explore: The difference between revenue, cash flow, and profitability. Why two offers generating the same revenue can have completely different profit margins. How delivery costs, operational expenses, and owner capacity affect profitability. The importance of regularly reviewing your numbers rather than waiting until the end of the year. The difference between doing $10 tasks and making $1,000 or $10,000 decisions. How hiring, client selection, and delayed decisions can impact the financial health of your business. We also talk about Pam's upcoming Profitable on Purpose conference, happening October 23rd in Greater Victoria, BC, where I'll be joining an incredible group of speakers. This isn't another event where you get inspired for a day and then return to business as usual. It's a hands-on experience designed to help established women business owners make meaningful decisions, take action, and continue implementing what they've learned after the event. If you're on Vancouver Island, we'd love to see you there! Profitable on Purpose — October 23, 2026 Location: Esquimalt Gorge Park Pavilion, Greater Victoria, BC Time: 9:30 AM–5:00 PM Event details and tickets: https://thepopbusiness.com/ Additional POP resource: https://thepopbusiness.com/check/ Connect with Pam Ivey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamivey/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamivey2/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamiveyofficial/ Connect with Kehla Website: https://www.kehlag.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kehlag/

What happens when a coaching business becomes so focused on attracting new clients that the actual experience of working with those clients becomes an afterthought? In this episode of Built for the Edge, Kehla sits down with Dallas Travers, founder of The Hive and host of Coaches on a Mission, to explore what actually creates staying power in an industry that's constantly changing. With more than two decades of business experience, Dallas brings a perspective on client retention, service delivery, and the responsibility coaches have to deliver on what they've sold. Together, they get into the tension between building a profitable business and genuinely holding clients in high regard. Because having boundaries doesn't mean becoming rigid, and being client-centered doesn't mean abandoning yourself to keep everyone happy. They also explore the growing pressure to be authentic online, how that can turn into another form of performance, and why integrity matters when you're building a business for the long haul. In this conversation, you'll hear about: Why client retention starts long before someone considers renewing. What it actually looks like to take ownership of the client experience without becoming responsible for every client outcome. How to maintain boundaries while adapting to what your clients genuinely need. The difference between authentic marketing and performing authenticity to stand out. Why consistency, humanity, and integrity matter more than constantly reinventing your business. How changing your mind can sometimes be the most responsible way to honour a commitment. Dallas also shares real examples from her own business, including a nine-year coaching relationship, a challenging membership call, and what she's learned about building a business where clients want to stay. If you're spending all your energy trying to get more clients while wondering why your business never seems to build momentum, this conversation will give you a different perspective on what deserves your attention. Listen to Coaches on a Mission with Dallas Travers Dallas's website Follow Dallas on IG Kehla's Website ⚡ Find out what's actually holding your business back. Take the free Signal Diagnostic GPT  to identify whether the real issue is your Center, Path, or Constraint — so you can stop solving the wrong problem.

What if you’re measuring how hard you’re working instead of whether the work is actually producing an outcome? In this episode of Built for the Edge, Kehla unpacks the difference between output and outcome — and why posting more, emailing more, launching again, or doing more of anything doesn’t necessarily mean your business is moving forward. She shares why she’s started treating business more like an experiment: looking at the data, figuring out which activities actually produce results, and being willing to change direction when they don’t. You’ll hear why Kehla is deprioritizing Instagram after seven years of posting, why podcasting and email are becoming bigger priorities, and the question she’s now using to evaluate where her energy goes: If you’ve been doing more, posting more, changing your messaging, launching again, or trying another marketing strategy without being able to clearly identify what’s actually moving the needle, this episode will give you a different question to work with: What did the business do because you did that? And if you don’t know what you should be looking at in your business right now, Kehla’s complimentary Signal Diagnostic GPT is linked in the show notes. It takes you through eight questions about what’s actually happening in your business and identifies the strongest structural signal showing up right now: your Center, Path, or Constraint. Kehla's website Kehla's IG Follow Kehla on LinkedIn

What if the thing keeping your business stuck isn't a lack of strategy—but the work you're using to avoid doing the thing that actually matters? In this episode of Built for the Edge, Kehla sits down with Brad Walsh, founder and host of Empowerography, to talk about entrepreneurship, building a podcast and personal brand, overcoming self-doubt, and what it actually takes to stay committed to a business for the long haul. After nearly six and a half years and 800 podcast episodes, Brad has built a global community around amplifying women's voices. But behind that growth have been plenty of moments where he questioned himself, delayed ideas, got attached to outcomes, and even used the work he loved—podcasting and editing—as busy work to avoid focusing on monetization and business growth. Brad shares why one business email sat in his drafts for five and a half months, what happened when he finally sent it, why he nearly cancelled his first women's empowerment conference, and how taking a summer away from podcast interviews forced him to confront where his time and energy were actually going. Kehla and Brad also unpack the difference between patience and avoidance, why confidence is built through action, how comparison can derail entrepreneurs, and why returning to service has repeatedly helped Brad move through fear and self-doubt. In this episode, you'll hear: How Brad grew Empowerography from a podcast into a global community and movement Why building a successful podcast, brand, or business is often a slow burn How comparison and self-doubt show up even after years of entrepreneurship Why busy work can become a form of business avoidance What happened when Brad finally sent an offer he'd been sitting on for months Why he almost cancelled his first women's empowerment conference How to stop getting in your own way and take action before you feel confident Why relationships, collaboration, and being of service have been foundational to Brad's growth How to recognize when you're attached to an outcome instead of focused on the work in front of you If you've been telling yourself you need more confidence, more clarity, or more information before you make your next move, this conversation might make you question whether that's actually true. Follow Brad on LinkedIn Follow Brad on IG Brad's website Empower your message gift from Brad Follow Kehla on IG Follow Kehla on LinkedIn Grab the Signal Diagnostic GPT

What happens when intuition gives you the idea, but you still have to build a business around it? In this episode of Built for the Edge, Kehla sits down with D. LeD, transformational business coach, founder of Sourced™, and bestselling author of Shift the Field and Retreat and Grow Rich, for a conversation about intuition, self-trust, frameworks, and the structure required to turn transformational work into a business. D shares why she doesn't believe in formulas, but does believe in frameworks — and what she learned from following someone else's business formula alongside experimenting with what felt more natural and intuitive to her. They talk about D's definition of “magic,” how she recognizes the intuitive ways people create transformation for their clients, and why self-trust doesn't mean removing action from the equation. Kehla also shares how her own relationship with spirituality in business has changed over the years. Earlier in her business, feelings, alignment, and energetic interpretations often governed how she moved — sometimes at the expense of measurement, structure, and looking at what the results were actually showing her. This opens up a larger conversation about where intuition belongs in business, what happens when you experiment before systematizing, and D's perspective that structure can actually give your magic somewhere to live. They also get into the difference between frameworks and formulas, D's Anatomy of a Transformation framework, how ideas move into offers and experiences, and why building the thing isn't a substitute for talking to actual humans. In this episode, you'll hear: Why D prefers frameworks over formulas in business How to recognize and put language around your own “magic” Why intuition still needs experimentation and evidence The relationship between self-trust and external results How old patterns can be mistaken for intuitive guidance Why you may want to test something before building a system around it How structure can give your best work somewhere to actually live D's Anatomy of a Transformation framework Why talking to actual humans still matters more than endlessly building behind the scenes If you've ever felt caught between trusting yourself and doing what your business actually requires, this conversation offers a much more nuanced way to think about the two.   Follow D on LinkedIn Follow D on Instagram Sign up for The Welcome (Starts August 17th, 2026) Follow Kehla on LinkedIn Follow Kehla on Instagram Kehla's website

Hiring the right people isn't about finding the perfect resume. It's about learning how to recognize potential before everyone else does. In this episode, Kehla sits down with Mark Guest, Managing Director of ActionCOACH Canada, to unpack what he's learned after hiring hundreds of employees across high-growth companies, including Absorb LMS, Neo Financial, Humi, and Granify. Instead of chasing "unicorn" candidates with years of experience, Mark shares why the best hires are often hiding in plain sight—and how business owners can identify the behaviours, mindset, and agency that actually predict long-term success. Together, they explore why recruiting should be treated like business development, how to find A-players before they ever apply to your job posting, and why empowering employees starts long before you delegate responsibility. If you're building a team, preparing to hire your first employee, or wondering why your current hiring process isn't producing the people you hoped for, this conversation will change the way you evaluate talent. In this episode, you'll learn: Why experience isn't the best predictor of a great hire. How to identify "diamond in the rough" candidates. What agency is and why it matters more than credentials. How to recruit proactively instead of waiting for applicants. Why your hiring process should look more like your sales process. How to empower employees without micromanaging them. What business owners can do today to build a team that eventually runs without them. Whether you're hiring your first employee or scaling an established business, this episode will help you make stronger hiring decisions, develop better leaders, and build a business that doesn't depend on you doing everything yourself. Follow Mark on LinkedIn Follow Kehla on LinkedIn

AI isn't just changing how businesses create content—it's completely transforming how entrepreneurs operate behind the scenes. In this episode, Kehla sits down with business backend architect Jill for a practical conversation about the AI workflows that are helping them reclaim hours every week. Together, they explore how tools like Claude, Claude Cowork, ChatGPT, and AI-powered automations are simplifying everything from organizing emails and files to analyzing client calls, tracking KPIs, generating leads, auditing content, and building CEO dashboards that would have previously taken days to create. Rather than focusing on surface-level AI prompts, Jill shares why specificity is the real superpower and how creating custom skills and automations allows business owners to step out of daily operations and into true leadership. Kehla also shares how she's using AI across her own business to create a more cohesive brand, streamline sales outreach, and eliminate repetitive tasks without sacrificing authenticity. If you've been wondering how to move beyond using AI for content creation and start leveraging it as a strategic business partner, this conversation will leave you with practical ideas you can implement immediately to work smarter, create more capacity, and spend more time doing the work that actually grows your business. Follow Jill on IG Jill's Website The Intuitive Diagnostic Questionnaire Follow Kehla on IG Follow Kehla on LinkedIn Kehla's Website

If you had just 30 days to build a stronger business, where would you start? Not with another strategy. Not with another certification. And not by trying to do more. In the final episode of A Business That Makes Sense, Kehla G walks through the exact four-step framework she'd use to help an entrepreneur build a business that creates consistent momentum instead of constant confusion. Drawing together everything from the previous three episodes, Kehla shares why clarity must come before marketing, why messaging is only powerful when it's built on a solid foundation, how to create a client pathway that actually makes sense, and why every business owner needs a clear 90-day plan before chasing the next opportunity. In this episode, you'll learn: Where Kehla would start if she had just 30 days with your business. Why clarity is the foundation every other business decision depends on. How to strengthen your messaging without relying on gimmicks or trends. Why understanding your client pathway creates more predictable revenue. Where Human Design and Gene Keys fit into building a sustainable business. Why intentional planning creates more momentum than constant hustle. If you've been following this series and recognizing yourself in these conversations, this episode brings everything together and shows you what implementation actually looks like. Because before a business can scale, it needs to make sense. Built to Hold is Kehla's live 30-day business intensive designed for ambitious entrepreneurs who are ready to stop guessing, strengthen the foundations of their business, and build consistent momentum with intention. Doors close Sunday, August 9, and the program begins Monday, August 10. 🔥 Join and Built to Hold.  Connect with Kehla: Website Instagram LinkedIn Work with Kehla