Until It Works

About Until It Works

You see the success. What you don't see is the unscripted reality it took to get there. Hosted by Austin Trachsel, a production company owner with credits including the Olympics, Kentucky Derby, Netflix, and NASA, this show shares the tape usually left on the cutting room floor. We sit down with behind-the-scenes leaders to reveal the real story. Expect raw discussions on logistical disasters, blind panic, the unglamorous daily grind, and the exact pivot points that saved the business.

Publisher

Make Something Media

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Aug 2026

Latest episode

29 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

7 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Oct 2026

   Why I Walked Away From Teaching to Grow a Cake Pop Empire

   Leaving a stable teaching job is terrifying, but staying in a role that no longer fits can be even more costly. We look at the emotional process of navigating a major career pivot and the internal friction that comes with choosing the unknown over security. Whether you are currently standing at a professional crossroads or struggling with the guilt of walking away from a steady paycheck, this conversation provides a candid look at the reality of choosing yourself. By examining the tension between job security and personal growth, we break down why the decision to leave is often more about identity than just a change in employment. You will gain perspective on how to process these big life transitions without losing your footing. Subscribe for weekly leadership insights, and let me know in the comments how you have navigated your own major life pivots. Chapter Markers 00:02:02 - The Koala Cake Pop That Started It All 00:14:10 - The Breaking Point: "I Don't Know If I Want to Teach Anymore" 00:24:14 - Rolling Dough Until Your Shoulders Fail 00:27:01 - Using a TI-84 and a 3D Printer to Invent a Better Way 00:36:39 - Accidentally Starting Three Separate Businesses 00:44:15 - Scaling Up for 9,000-Unit Corporate Orders Memorable Quotes "I came home one day, looked at my husband, started crying, and I said, 'I don't know if I want to teach anymore.' ... The stable teaching job that I absolutely do love and was planning on doing forever... or this unknown cake pop thing." "When you are running your own company, you are the pay grade. My coworkers are great at problem-solving... but sometimes we don't know what to do. And there's no administration that I can be like, 'Hey, this is not me anymore.'" Links & Resources: Follow Amy's businesses at Daisy Pops, Daisy Makes, and What's Poppin' Con www.daisymakes.com www.daisypops.com www.whatspoppingcon.com Presented by Make Something Media: High-end, authentic video production and photography for businesses that want to look as good as the hard work they do. Let's make something together at MakeSomethingMedia.com. If you enjoyed this unvarnished look at the everyday leadership journey, please subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast to help us grow.

2. 

   10 Oct 2026

   How I Became a Med Spa Owner (And Why Success Terrifies Me)

   Being a med spa owner sounds like the dream, but for many, the real challenge is managing the weight of actual success. Most entrepreneurs obsess over failure, but Heather faced a different hurdle: the terrifying possibility of winning. In this conversation, we look at the reality of creative entrepreneurship when your growth starts to outpace your personal capacity. We discuss why she chose to stop chasing expansion and instead focused on protecting her energy. Building a sustainable company requires difficult choices, especially when it comes to hiring staff and maintaining quality. Heather shares the candid truth about the revolving-door nature of staffing and why she set strict business boundaries to keep her sanity intact. This is a look at what it takes to build a team you can actually trust. Subscribe for weekly leadership insights, and let me know in the comments how you have navigated your own major life pivots. Chapter Markers 08:08 - Single Motherhood and Sole Provision 10:10 - The Fear of Success14:44 - Building a physical location 18:48 - The Intimate Nightmare of Hiring 23:31 - Dodging a Bullet on Expansion26:18 - Saying "Yes" to Free 31:42 - Investing in Others Pull Quotes "I've always been more scared to succeed than I have been to fail. Because then what? Okay, this is successful. And then I have a lot more on my plate and can I handle it? Do I have the capacity?" "They are wearing your face on their shirt. And it's a big deal for them to conduct themselves professionally... You have to know that you have trust in these people to guide your business in the same way that you will." Links & Resources Connect with Heather: https://www.massagebook.com/therapists/cloud-9-medspa Presented by Make Something Media: Does your brand’s visual identity reflect the hard work you put into it? For high-end, authentic video production and photography, visit MakeSomethingMedia.com. Follow & Subscribe: Don't miss an episode. Subscribe to Until It Works on your favorite podcast platform to hear more unvarnished stories from the messy middle.

3. 

   26 Sept 2026

   Starting My Coffee Shop: Defining "Fourth Space" and Cultivating Real Community

   You may think of specialty coffee as a cheap commodity or a quick drive-thru fix, but bootstrapping a brick-and-mortar coffee shop and wholesale roasting business from the ground up is anything but glamorous. After the sudden passing of his wife forced him to abandon his PhD aspirations to raise two young kids, Randy pivoted into creative entrepreneurship, literally smoking out his kitchen while testing his first artisanal coffee roasting setup. Today, Randy is the startup founder behind Drinklings, a thriving Main Street coffee brand, but surviving the mess of scaling a small business required relentless resilience. We sit down to unpack his everyday leadership journey and the persistence needed to scale physical operations from a kitchen popcorn popper to a 4,000-square-foot manufacturing space. We also explore the mental weight of leadership, setting boundaries in business, and why he actively rejects the sterile corporate efficiency of drive-thrus to cultivate an authentic "fourth space" for true community connection. Whether you are scaling a local retail business, managing creative teams, or searching for unvarnished founder stories, this episode pulls back the curtain on the reality of entrepreneurship. Chapter Markers: 00:01:00 - The Punk Rock Approach to Self-Taught Persistence 00:07:53 - Abandoning the PhD and Surviving the Ultimate Life Pivot 00:13:46 - Smoking Up the Kitchen: Roasting 25lbs of Amazon Beans 00:27:26 - Rejecting the Drive-Thru and the Gods of Efficiency 00:46:04 - The Upcoming Book on the Philosophy of CoffeeLinks & Resources: Check out Drinklings and keep an eye out for Randy's upcoming book on the philosophy of coffee. (https://www.drinklings.coffee/?srsltid=AU7gw4XPrGmXXO61toNyJqjw8oQ90arN387yGfXrw-qAluNkxbiuRwkx)More about 4th spaces (https://randyhardman.substack.com/p/going-from-third-spaces-to-fourth) Presented by Make Something Media: High-end, authentic video production and photography for businesses that want to look as good as the work they do. Let's make something together. (MakeSomethingMedia.com) Know someone with a story of grit and persistence, or an incredibly cool job? Nominate them at untilitworks.podcast@gmail.com. If you enjoyed this raw look at the everyday leadership journey, please Subscribe, like, or comment to help the podcast grow.

4. 

   17 Sept 2026

   Sports Science: Keeping Elite Athletes on the Court When the Season is on the Line

   When a college basketball team cuts down the nets, the cameras capture the glory and the buzzer-beaters. What you never see is the chaotic, high-stakes medical calculus required to keep those elite athletes healthy enough to actually stay on the floor. Tommy Otley is the Physical Therapist and Sports Scientist for University of Miami Basketball, but he didn't start with a clear path to the top. From facing job rejections from Major League Soccer teams out of residency to navigating the "Wild West" of collegiate wearable technology, Tommy breaks down the unglamorous daily grind of sports medicine. He bypasses the polished PR to share how a horrific head-on car collision during college forced him to become the patient, entirely shifting how he manages high-performance teams, tracks player analytics, and integrates with legendary leadership systems like Coach K's. Chapter Markers: 00:00 - Intro 06:16 - The MLS Rejections and Forced Patience 11:57 - Building the Sports Science Program from Scratch 25:21 - Dropping the Ego in High-Performance Teams 37:44 - The NCAA "Wild West" of Wearable Tech 45:15 - Coach K's "Fist" and the Mechanics of Winning 55:06 - The Head-On Collision That Changed Everything Memorable Quotes:"I was putting my daughter to bed... and she asked me, why do you go to work? And halfway out of my mouth was like, well, I'm going to go make money for us. I was like, no, I gotta stop that. I don't really believe that's why I go to work." "You didn't get into sports because you weren't confident... but at the same time, you've got to come with open hands. You can't get anything if you come into a problem and your hands are closed." Links & Resources: See more of Tommy's work at www.tommyotley.com Presented by Make Something Media: High-end, authentic video production for businesses that want to look as good as the work they do. Let's make something together at makesomethingmedia.comIf you enjoyed this raw look at the everyday leadership journey, please Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

5. 

   29 Aug 2026

   Becoming the CEO of a Large Scale Non-Profit

   On his very first day as CEO of the Lexington Leadership Foundation, Christian walked into his 22,000-square-foot community center to find an inch of standing water from a burst pipe. Before he was leading a massive non-profit, he had to survive the collapse of his athletic identity and process the tragic loss of a mentee he had poured into for over a decade. In this episode, we peel back the curtain on the daily grind of non-profit leadership and creative entrepreneurship. Christian opens up about the reality of scaling a business in the non-profit sector, from navigating the delicate dance with a 15-person board of directors, to managing a volatile cash runway, to the mental weight of ensuring 20 families on his staff get fed. We explore why unchecked pride will destroy your leadership and why the best leaders are ultimately the best followers. 00:03:13 - A Resilient Mother 00:08:42 - Mowing Lawns and the Lesson of Excellence 00:18:25 - Where Egos Fall 00:22:48 - Loss and Resilience 00:29:02 - Day One as CEO: Welcome to a Flooded Building 00:48:37 - The Hardest Part of Running a Non-Profit "When you have 20 people on your team and you're thinking about them being fed and their families being fed, that weighs on you... My job doesn't keep me up at night, but it gets me out of bed for him every day." - Christian Connect with the Guest: Learn more about Christian's work at the Lexington Leadership Foundation. (https://www.lexlf.org/) Nominate a Builder: Do you know a founder or leader who pushed through the messy middle until it worked? Send an email to UntilItWorksPodcast@gmail.com to nominate them for an interview. Presented By: This episode is brought to you by Make Something Media. Let's Make Something Together.. Visit MakeSomethingMedia.com (http://makesomethingmedia.com).

6. 

   18 Aug 2026

   Building an Ultra-Luxury Wedding Business from Scratch with Krissy Campbell

   Before she was designing ultra-luxury destination weddings for NFL players and other high-profile clients, Krissy Campbell was sitting in the messy reality of losing her job. Her position at a community foundation was cut, leaving her burnt out, stressed, and forced to figure out her next step from scratch. In this episode, we peel back the curtain of the luxury event industry to talk about the gritty reality of creative entrepreneurship. Krissy shares her unvarnished story of surviving layoffs, navigating the early days of cold sales, and slowly scaling a boutique business into an ultra-luxury wedding planning agency. We dive into what it actually takes to build a business from nothing, why trusting your gut is essential for founders, and how to identify the "threads" in your life that could lead to your next massive pivot. Chapter Markers 00:01:26 - The Roots: Growing Up in a Family Catering Business 00:06:50 - The Grind of Cold Sales and Severe Burnout 00:14:34 - The Lowest Point: Getting Laid Off 00:26:22 - Working for Free & Landing the First $500 Client 00:38:05 - Pitching "Fake" Weddings During COVID to Break into Paris and Italy 00:52:01 - The Blind Panic and Chaos of Wedding Day Execution 01:06:18 - Following the "Threads" to Your Next Business Pivot "Don't be afraid to just follow a thread. Like, if there's something that catches your attention... not being afraid to follow something when you don't really know how it’s going to pan out" - Krissy Campbell Links & Resources Connect with the Guest: Check out Krissy's work and connect with her on Instagram at krissycampbell.com. (https://krissycampbell.com/) Nominate a Builder: Do you know a founder or leader who pushed through the messy middle until it worked? Send an email to UntilItWorksPodcast@gmail.com to nominate them for an interview. Presented By: This episode is brought to you by Make Something Media Visit MakeSomethingMedia.com (makesomethingmedia.com). Hit the subscribe button so you don't miss the next teardown of the everyday leadership journey.

7. 

   8 Aug 2026

   Becoming Sesame Street's Creative Director

   You might see the title "Creative Director of Character Design for Sesame Street" and assume it was a straight shot to the top. But for Lewis Henry Mitchell, the path was paved with relentless naysayers, including his own father and a college professor who told him his dreams of working for the Muppets would only break his heart. Before he ever drew a character professionally for the studio, he endured eight straight months of dropping his portfolio off only to be told they had no work for him.In this episode, we talk about the unvarnished reality of building a creative career and pushing past the voices that tell you your goals are impossible. We dive into the grit required to land your dream job, the power of persistence in the face of continuous "no's", and how trusting your inner voice is the ultimate key to true creative entrepreneurship.Chapter Markers00:00:00 - The Seismic Jolt: Seeing Jim Henson on TV00:03:02 - Navigating the Naysayers vs. The Champions00:16:34 - The High-Stakes Critique at Neal Adams' House00:30:11 - "You're Aiming Way Too High"00:32:05 - Eight Months of Rejection at the Muppet Studio00:34:04 - The Answering Machine Message That Changed Everything00:49:15 - Why Cookie Monster is the Ultimate Character00:58:31 - Tapping Into Your Inner Six-Year-OldThe Raw Truth"We don't decide who we're going to become. We discover it." - Lewis Henry Mitchell"I always think the naysayers are wrong because how do they know? ... the only way for you to really know if something's for you is to try it." - Lewis Henry MitchellLinks & ResourcesConnect with the Guest: Find Lewis Henry Mitchell on LinkedIn.The Book: Pick up a copy of Lewis's book, Creative Evolution, to dive deeper into his philosophy on trusting your inner voice. (Leave a comment with where you listen—YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts—for a chance to win one of three free copies!)Nominate a Builder: Know someone leading a business who pushed forward until it worked? Email us at untilitworkspodcast@gmail.com to nominate them for the show.Presented By: This episode is brought to you by Make Something Media. makesomethingmedia.com

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

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