Loving the Journey with Donna Kunde

About Loving the Journey with Donna Kunde

Every voice you hear on a podcast belongs to someone who decided to keep going, even when it was hard, even when the downloads were low, even when they wondered if any of it was worth it. Loving the Journey goes behind the microphone to hear those stories. The early days. The near-quits. The turning points. And the reason they're still here. This is not just a podcast about podcasting. It's a podcast about courage, consistency, and using your voice to build something meaningful, even when the path isn't clear yet. If you're an entrepreneur, podcaster, or creator who's already in it and wants to keep going, this show is for you. Each episode, you'll hear from someone who started with a message and a microphone and figured out the rest along the way: what worked, what didn't, and what they would do differently. The goal is simple: to remind you that your message matters, your story matters, and the journey is worth it.

Publisher

Donna Kunde

Category

business · business · business · business · education · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 Oct 2020

Latest episode

5 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

33 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   5 Jun 2026

   Embrace the Side Quest: Rita Richa on Finding the Right Room

   Rita Richa grew up performing. At four she was auditioning for commercials. In pre-K her teacher told her mom she would be on radio someday. In freshman year she stood up in English class, told everyone she was going to be Oprah, and the whole class laughed. Life had other plans. She ended up in automotive sales, then at Tesla, working long hours in a culture where going to the ER from burnout was a rite of passage. She would walk through the service shop singing Belle from Beauty and the Beast and get in trouble for it. Then she watched Moana on the couch, started sobbing, and finally understood why nothing had been working. What followed were years of side quests — spray tans that went wrong, a floor lamp from Walmart standing in for studio lighting, a podcast agency that should not have hired her. All of it was training she did not know she was getting. All of it became Reignite Media, Bippity Boppity Business, and a career built entirely on the things she was told were detours. This is Episode 8 of Loving the Journey, and it is one I keep thinking about. Guest: Rita Richa | Host of Bippity Boppity Business | Founder, Reignite Media About Rita Richa: Rita Richa is the founder of Reignite Media, a podcast consulting business helping podcasters get better and grow bigger. She is the host of Bippity Boppity Business, a podcast that uses Disney storytelling as a lens for exploring entrepreneurship and business principles. Rita also serves as a contracted host for Lenovo's Work Reborn podcast, produced by Be the Stage, where she interviews leaders at conferences and events about work, technology, and the future of business. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Rita's story is one of childhood creativity, unexpected detours, and eventually finding the right room. 5 Things You Will Learn: 1. Why your side quests are not distractions but the ingredients of your story 2. How to recognize when you are in the wrong room and what it costs to stay 3. The moment a Disney movie made Rita sob and changed the direction of her life 4. How saying yes when you are completely unqualified can open the door to your calling 5. Why you are not just someone with a voice, you are needed Timestamps: * [0:01] Welcome and introduction — Rita Richa, founder of Reignite Media and host of Bippity Boppity Business * [2:55] Childhood creativity, theater, and a pre-K teacher's early prediction * [7:00] The high school Oprah dream, the lost college fund, and pivoting fast * [12:28] A toxic work culture, a panic attack, and the Tesla turning point * [16:41] The Moana moment that cracked everything open * [31:32] How podcasting accidentally became a business * [45:10] "Embrace the side quest. Yes is the side quest." Connect with Rita Richa: Website: BippityBoppityBiz.com (https://bippityboppitybiz.com) Podcast: Bippity Boppity Business LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ritaricha (https://linkedin.com/in/ritaricha) Ready to grow your influence? Take the free Influence Scorecard and find out where your message is landing and where it is leaking: www.365businessmaker.com/scorecard (https://www.365businessmaker.com/scorecard) About the Host: Learn more about Donna Kunde: www.donnakunde.com/llm (https://www.donnakunde.com/llm)

2. 

   1 Jun 2026

   Ari Rastegar: Failure Is How You Learn to Win — From $3,500 to a Multi-Billion Dollar Portfolio

   Ari Rastegar started with $3,500, a speech impediment, a single dad, and two community colleges. He built a multi-billion dollar real estate portfolio. And the book that drove his entire philosophy is called The Gift of Failure. The first line: I hope you fail. I hope you fail a lot. This is the first guest ever recorded for Loving the Journey, and it is no coincidence that the person who held that spot came in talking about what most people run from. Failure. Introspection. The dark night of the soul. And the single thing he says to anyone who is in it right now: It's gonna be okay. In this episode, Ari shares the 40% principle (when you think you're done, you have barely started), why the barriers holding you back are self-made and can therefore be self-broken, and what it means to fake it till you become it, not make it. He talks about his father handing him Think and Grow Rich at 13 years old, the concept of resilience as a muscle that gets stronger with reps, and why your life is your initiation. This is not a podcast about real estate. This is a conversation about what it takes to keep going. About Ari Rastegar: Ari Rastegar is a real estate investor, entrepreneur, and bestselling author known for turning failure into long-term leverage. Starting with a $3,500 loan in law school, he built a multi-billion dollar real estate portfolio. He is the author of The Gift of Failure and has grown an audience of 750,000-plus followers across social platforms. He speaks and writes about clarity, resilience, health, and the inner work behind sustainable success. Connect with him at rastegararinvest.com. Key Takeaways: Failure is not the opposite of winning. It is how winning happens. When you think you are done, you are only at 40% of your capacity. The barriers in your way are psychological. Since you made them, you can break them. Resilience is a muscle. The reps make it stronger. You do not build it in one session. Progress is not linear. Sometimes you have to tear something down before you can build something better. Episode Highlights with Timestamps: [0:01] Introduction: from $3,500 to a multi-billion dollar real estate portfolio and 750,000-plus followers [1:38] Why he loves podcasting as a listener and why hosts have an obligation to keep going [3:52] Host vs. guest: questions are the answer, and how to ask better ones [7:47] The Gift of Failure: "I hope you fail. I hope you fail a lot." [9:09] Sifting through the rubble: how introspection after failure produces gold [12:20] "I'm just a regular person." Speech impediment, two community colleges, single dad. [14:28] The 40% principle: when you think you're done, you have barely started [18:32] His most important mentor: his father and Think and Grow Rich at age 13 [22:07] "Your life is your initiation." (Dr. Joe Dispenza) [25:25] The step-back jumper: why progress sometimes requires tearing down before building [26:58] His final message: "It's gonna be okay." Connect with Ari Rastegar: Website: https://rastegarcapital.com/ (https://rastegarcapital.com/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arirastegar/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/arirastegar/) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rastegar (https://www.instagram.com/rastegar) Book: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ari-Rastegar/author/B0B3KM27KL (https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ari-Rastegar/author/B0B3KM27KL) Is your podcast working as hard as it should? Get your free personalized Influence Score at www.365businessmaker.com/scorecard (https://www.365businessmaker.com/scorecard) reviewed by a real human within 2 business days.

3. 

   30 May 2026

   Sheila Slick: Your Story Matters — From Self-Doubt to 100 Episodes and a Book in 3 Hours

   Sheila Slick hit record on her very first episode, pressed play to review it, and almost stopped right there. Her voice sounded different. Her arms felt wrong. The editing felt endless. And the self-doubt was immediate. She kept going anyway. Nearly 100 episodes later, Sheila is the host of Milestone Moments in Business and Leadership, the creator of Pod2Book AI (a software platform that turns podcast conversations into a full book manuscript in under three hours), and a co-author of the international bestseller Your Message Is the Business. None of that was the plan. In this episode, Sheila shares how a conversation that happened after the recording stopped changed everything, how she accidentally booked 38 guests in one week (and what that forced her to learn about time blocking), and why she believes the only thing standing between a podcaster and being unstoppable is the belief that one person's life is worth changing. Her message is simple, direct, and worth hearing: your story matters. About Sheila Slick: Sheila Slick is a serial entrepreneur, programmer, and host of Milestone Moments in Business and Leadership, approaching its 100th episode. She is the creator of Pod2Book AI, which converts podcast recordings into a full book manuscript in under three hours. A former SCORE Chair for Volusia and Flagler County, Florida, and founder of five companies, she helps entrepreneurs share their stories and turn conversations into lasting impact. She is also a co-author of the international bestseller Your Message Is the Business. Connect with her at 5milestones.com. Key Takeaways: Hearing yourself on a recording for the first time is a rite of passage. Push through it. The conversation after you stop recording is often where the real relationship is built. Time blocking your podcast recordings lets you show up at your best energy and control your calendar. You have already invested the time in creating a conversation. That same content can become a book. If you change one person's life, that is enough reason to be unstoppable. Episode Highlights with Timestamps: [0:00] Introduction: host of Milestone Moments and creator of Pod2Book AI, co-author with Donna [1:24] Why she started the podcast: continuing the conversations that mattered as SCORE Chair [4:15] Hearing herself record for the first time and almost quitting after the first episode [5:59] How a guest who was an AI professor changed everything in a post-recording conversation [10:08] Why she built Pod2Book AI: not everyone listens to podcasts, but everyone can read a book [13:02] The Five Milestones framework: why five? Her fifth decade, fifth version of herself, and a number that makes sense [15:16] The 38-booking mistake: what happens when you automate everything and go on vacation [17:09] Time blocking for podcasters: batch record, find your best energy window, protect your calendar [22:58] Her final message: your stfory matters, and that makes you unstoppable Connect with Sheila Slick: Website: fivemilestones.com (https://fivemilestones.com/) Pod2Book AI: PodtoBook.ai (https://podtobook.ai/) Is your podcast working as hard as it should? Get your free personalized Influence Score at www.365businessmaker.com/scorecard (https://www.365businessmaker.com/scorecard) reviewed by a real human within 2 business days.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings