by Hosted by Emmie and Mae
Honest Talk From Female Founders. Each week, Emmie Faust and Mae Yip break down what it actually takes to build a business - funding, growth, burnout, parenting, and everything in between. Regularly joined by founders, investors and operators who've either raised a million, made a million or raised millions. Just the conversations female founders need, every week. Brought to you by Female Founders Rise - a community of 11,000+ female entrepreneurs.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
5/12/2026
Pitch yourself as a guest, propose sponsorships, or reach out directly to the host.
July 6, 2026
<p>Hosts Mae & Emmie unpack the five mindset traits that separate those who think like an entrepreneur from those who don't. Not everyone is cut out for it and most people don't know which side they're on.</p><p>Do you actually have the entrepreneurial mindset? And do you even know what it is?</p><p>Drawing from their own journeys, from Emmie running a major Google event with zero prior experience to building Female Founders Rise using nothing but Google Forms and LinkedIn, this episode is a candid, no-filter look at what it really takes to build a business.</p><p>The 5 traits every entrepreneur needs:</p><ol><li><p>Growth Orientation - The belief that you can learn and figure things out rather than being born with a fixed set of skills. "I can do that, and I will find a way."</p></li><li><p>Resourcefulness - Making the most of what you already have. Your network, your existing skills, free tools - start there. "What DO I have and what can I make use of?"</p></li><li><p>Comfort With Ambiguity - Being okay with uncertainty. Something always goes wrong. It's not a bug - it's the job. "When you're in a high, don't get too excited. When you're in a low, remember tomorrow something good will probably happen."</p></li><li><p>Bias to Action - Executing before you feel ready. "Perfectionism robs you of joy. You just gotta ship it." Feedback beats perfection every time.</p></li><li><p>Resilience & Reframing - You get knocked down constantly. The founders who make it are the ones who keep getting back up - and who surround themselves with other founders who get it.</p></li></ol><p>This episode is for every female founder in the messy middle who needs to hear: you're not alone, the struggle is normal, and the mindset you're building right now is your greatest asset.</p><p>Connect with us: </p><p>→ Join Female Founders Rise Free: <a href="https://femalefoundersrise.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://femalefoundersrise.com/</a> </p><p>→ Emmie on LinkedIn: <a href="https://linkedin.com/in/emmiefaust" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://linkedin.com/in/emmiefaust</a> </p><p>→ Mae on LinkedIn: <a href="https://linkedin.com/in/mae-yip-9017b238" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://linkedin.com/in/mae-yip-9017b238</a> </p><p>→ Download the episode playbook: <a href="https://femalefoundersriseshow.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://femalefoundersriseshow.com/</a> </p><p>→ Female Founders Rise Show on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/ffr.show" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://instagram.com/ffr.show</a> </p>
June 30, 2026
<p>Emily Kucharski was a director at WPP and Publicis. Then she went on maternity leave, taught herself to code, and co-founded an AI company with her husband. They have since raised over $1.3 million for Wholesum, an AI-native enterprise platform that helps organisations make sense of unstructured text data.</p><p><br />In this conversation, Emmie and Mae dug into the fundraising playbook Emily built over three years, why her initial venture's "failure" became the single biggest asset in her raise, and what VCs actually mean when they talk about 100X growth. They also unpacked the AI trust gap - 86% of companies are adopting AI, but only 6% are seeing meaningful benefits - and the copilot-versus-autopilot framework.</p><p><br />The second half of the episode goes deep on what it is like to co-found with your spouse: how Emily and her husband protect their personal life, why married co-founders statistically outperform, and the legal and emotional guardrails every founding team needs.</p><p><br />Topics covered<br /> - How a failed parenting platform led to a $1.3M AI raise<br /> - Building an investor network before you need it<br /> - Why enterprise sales signal "100X" to VCs<br /> - The AI trust failure: 86% adoption, 6% results<br /> - Copilot AI vs. autopilot AI - and when each makes sense<br /> - Married co-founder dynamics: boundaries, trust, and legal agreements<br /> - Three AI tasks every founder should automate right now<br /></p><p>Download the episode playbook: <a href="https://femalefoundersriseshow.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://femalefoundersriseshow.com/</a></p><p>Find out more about Wholesum: <a href="https://wholesum.tech/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://wholesum.tech/</a></p><p>Emily on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-kucharski/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-kucharski/</a><br /></p><p>Links & Resources:<br />→ Join Female Founders Rise Free: <a href="https://femalefoundersrise.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://femalefoundersrise.com/</a> </p><p>→ Emmie on LinkedIn: <a href="https://linkedin.com/in/emmiefaust" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://linkedin.com/in/emmiefaust</a></p><p>→ Mae on LinkedIn: <a href="https://linkedin.com/in/mae-yip-9017b238" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://linkedin.com/in/mae-yip-9017b238</a> </p><p>→ Female Founders Rise Show on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/ffr.show" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://instagram.com/ffr.show</a></p>
June 23, 2026
<p>Mae raised nearly £1M from over 15 angel investors and most of it came through cold outreach. One LinkedIn DM landed her £250,000. Another cold email brought in £75,000.</p><p>In this episode, she walks Emmie through the exact six-step playbook founders ask her about the most: how she prepared, where she found angels, what she said, and the parts nobody posts on LinkedIn.</p><p>If you're fundraising right now - or about to start - this one covers the full picture. The rejections. The "Dear First Name" mass-email disaster. The emotional toll. And the surprise that changed everything: for most of her angels, the pitch deck barely mattered. The conversation came first.</p><p><strong>What's inside:</strong></p><ul><li>Mae's six-step angel fundraising playbook (Prepare → Admin & Legal → Momentum → How to Find Angels → Hustle → Set Expectations)</li><li>How to get SEIS/EIS advance assurance and why it makes you instantly more investable</li><li>Why the "grandma test" matters more than your pitch deck</li><li>Cold outreach that actually works: emails, LinkedIn DMs, and what to say</li><li>Angel syndicates, networks and collectives explained (and which ones to approach)</li><li>How to vet an investor with one question so you stop wasting time</li><li>Why a "no" isn't a no forever - and how to keep doors open</li><li>The reality behind big funding announcements (spoiler: it's usually small, bitty rounds)</li></ul><p>Hosted by Emmie Faust, serial entrepreneur, angel investor and founder of Female Founders Rise.</p><p><strong>Links & Resources:</strong></p><ul><li>Download the episode playbook: <a href="https://femalefoundersriseshow.com">https://femalefoundersriseshow.com</a></li><li>Join Female Founders Rise (free): <a href="https://femalefoundersrise.com">https://femalefoundersrise.com</a></li><li>SEIS/EIS advance assurance: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/venture-capital-schemes-apply-to-use-the-seed-enterprise-investment-scheme">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/venture-capital-schemes-apply-to-use-the-seed-enterprise-investment-scheme</a></li><li>FounderCatalyst: <a href="https://foundercatalyst.com">https://foundercatalyst.com</a></li><li>DocSend: <a href="https://www.docsend.com">https://www.docsend.com</a></li><li>Alma Angels: <a href="https://www.almaangels.co.uk">https://www.almaangels.co.uk</a></li></ul><p><strong>Connect with us:</strong></p><ul><li>Emmie on LinkedIn: <a href="https://linkedin.com/in/emmiefaust">https://linkedin.com/in/emmiefaust</a></li><li>Mae on LinkedIn: <a href="https://linkedin.com/in/mae-yip-9017b238">https://linkedin.com/in/mae-yip-9017b238</a></li><li>Female Founders Rise Show on Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/ffr.show">https://instagram.com/ffr.show</a></li></ul>
Discover related shows you might enjoy
Juliet Fallowfield
The Squiggly Career
Emma Grede | Audacy
Grace Beverley
David Senra
Goalhanger
DOAC
iHeartPodcasts
Global
Mel Robbins
Goalhanger
The Guardian
Shane Parrish
Global
Platform Media
Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
Honest Talk From Female Founders.
Each week, Emmie Faust and Mae Yip break down what it actually takes to build a business - funding, growth, burnout, parenting, and everything in between. Regularly joined by founders, investors and operators who've either raised a million, made a million or raised millions.
Just the conversations female founders need, every week.
Brought to you by Female Founders Rise - a community of 11,000+ female entrepreneurs.
This podcast updates daily.
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at hey@podengine.ai for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.