OnlyFounders
What really happens when two founders hit record?Welcome to OnlyFounders, the unfiltered podcast where Anne Gillaspie and Matt Lo—two wildly different founders with wildly good chemistry—let you eavesdrop on the conversations that usually happen behind closed doors.From the brand therapist brain of Anne (Fix & Form) to the tech-obsessed mind of Matt (ChipBot), these are the deep dives, off-the-rails riffs, and philosophical rabbit holes that business owners crave but rarely get. Think of it as your morning coffee with two founders who aren’t afraid to disagree, throw a little shade, and get real about the humanity and sc...
039: The End-of-Year Crunch Mindset
Matt and Anne dive into the strange tension between being wildly busy yet weirdly unfazed by it. Matt’s been running on four to six hours of sleep while juggling new ChipBot features, US Open training, and a schedule only a “partial nomad worker” could maintain — yet insists he’s not brain-dead, just operating in “GPT-5 Thinking Mode.” Anne challenges him on how he stays functional, which leads them both into a conversation about adrenaline, flow, burnout, and why table tennis gives Matt something business never can.
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“Hard decisions are the eas...038: The AI Bubble, The Economy & Why Everything Feels… Off
Matt and Anne sit down for a wide-open conversation about one of the biggest questions hovering over today’s tech world: Are we living in an AI bubble? They break down the trillion-dollar AI contracts, why enterprise AI pilots are failing at staggering rates, and how data pipelines—not the models—are the real bottleneck. From trust, regulation, and bias inside the weights… to AI as a household tool… to whether companies have already squeezed as much juice out of AI hype as possible, they pull the thread all the way through.
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037: Are You All-In or Spread-Thin?
Matt and Anne strip away the motivational-poster clichés and unpack the uncomfortable reality behind the phrase founders love to use but rarely define honestly. Anne opens up about the tension between ambition and parenthood, the limits of her available time, and how she’s restructuring her days to protect her flow state. Matt breaks down why “all in” is less about hours and more about output — and why you can’t be fully committed to two things at once without sacrificing quality.
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“All in means you stand by your cards rega...036: Founder Drive
Matt and Anne go deep into the real psychological engine behind entrepreneurship — the difference between being driven and being ambitious, why founders often operate on little sleep, and how creativity hits at 2 A.M. when you’re chasing a breakthrough. Matt breaks down how he finally cracked Reddit ads after 20 days of failures, why pattern-breaking beats templates, and how AI-powered manga-style creatives unexpectedly outperformed everything else.
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“Once you’re in the creative space, you’re on your own.” — Matt“We hire for vibe and compatibility, not talent alone.” — Anne📡 Where to Find...
035: When You Realize It’s Time to Pivot Yourself
Matt and Anne go deep into one of the most uncomfortable truths of entrepreneurship: realizing you might be the bottleneck. Anne shares a massive breakthrough about her role inside Fix & Form, why she's stepping out of day-to-day operations, and how she’s restructuring the entire business to scale. From hiring a Director of Ops (or chief-of-staff-type generalist) to rethinking deliverables, deadlines, and client flow, Anne walks through the mental shift that got her here.
She also reveals Fix & Form’s bold new direction — going all-in on becoming Denver’s premier luxury branding agency, ditching national virtual...
034: In the Weeds, On the Brand, and Under Pressure: The Real Rhythm of Founder Priorities
Matt and Anne dive into what it really feels like to run a company while juggling detail-oriented work, shifting identities, marketing experiments, and the constant pressure of “the one task that keeps everything alive.”
Anne breaks down her complete overhaul of November — canceling commitments, resetting availability, rebuilding boundaries, and finally owning how her energy, cycle, and creative demands shape her productivity. Matt shares the three buckets he uses every single morning to survive ChipBot’s dynamic chaos, plus the real emotional cost of ignoring the one thing that truly moves the business forward.
If you’re a found...
033: Bringing Websites to Life: The Human Side of AI with ChipBot
What happens when a website stops being a static brochure and starts saying “hi”? In this episode, Anne flips the script and interviews Matt about ChipBot, his AI-powered video and chat platform that helps businesses connect with visitors in a more human way.
Matt breaks down the psychology behind short-form video on websites, how agencies are using ChipBot to white-label and resell it, and why this “TikTok-style” experience is transforming the way people shop for services online. Anne and Matt also explore how businesses can create real connection by showing the people behind the brand—and why th...
032: How AI Built My Website (and Changed Everything)
When Anne nearly missed a major presentation deadline, she turned to an AI tool and what happened next changed how she thinks about building anything online. In this episode, Matt and Anne dive into how AI tools (Lovable, Bolt, Repl.it, etc...) are reshaping website creation, from five-minute pitch decks to fully launched personal brands. Anne shares her first-hand experience using AI to design, write, and publish her new website without a developer—and how that experience sparked a debate about whether agencies (and CMS platforms) even make sense anymore.
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“...031: The Quota Trap: How Founders Lose the Magic
Matt and Anne pull back the curtain on their own creative process—debating whether founders should keep pushing out content for the sake of visibility or slow down to preserve authenticity and impact.
From podcast planning to business growth, they wrestle with the balance between showing up and showing off, breaking down what “quality control” really means when your name and energy are the brand.
They also touch on Matt’s billion-view vision for ChipBot, Anne’s pivot from Share Your Freak to Share Your Fear, and how both are redefining what it means to build some...
030: One Click, One Shot, One “Aha”
Matt and Anne dive deep into the realities of modern marketing — from short-form videos and organic reach to why the best campaigns are equal parts science and creativity. They debate whether customers really need multiple touch points before converting, explore what makes an “aha” moment irresistible, and share the emotional grind of testing, failing, and iterating until something sticks. This episode is all about grit — the consistency, courage, and curiosity required to turn experiments into growth.
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“If the product has an aha moment built in, it’s all you really need.”...029: The Power of Threes: Flow, Focus, Ship
Anne and Matt get raw about the power of threes—in marketing, creativity, and even table tennis. From Anne’s late-night steroid-fueled “just ship it” breakthrough to Matt’s system for staying in flow three days a week, they break down why doing something three times—not once, not twice—turns it from effort into habit. The duo also dives into social scheduling hacks, the “OnlyFans” branding origin story of OnlyFounders, and how to beat analysis paralysis by embracing imperfection.
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“If you have an idea, just ship it.” — Anne“Once you hit three, it’s...028: Lifestyle vs. Startup: Growth at All Costs vs. Growth by Choice
Matt and Anne break down the real difference between a startup and a lifestyle business. Matt shares how ChipBot evolved from 110% startup grind to a sustainable, founder-led company—and why effort, not just capital, defines the startup mindset. They discuss growth pressure, investor expectations, personal sacrifices, and even how companies like OpenAI are still startups despite their size. If you’ve ever wondered what kind of business you’re building (or want to build), this episode will give you clarity and perspective.
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“Startups are growth at all costs. Lifestyle bus...027: The Truth About Addiction: Katherine Sorensen's Recovery and Business Story
Anne and Matt sit down with Katherine Sorensen — entrepreneur, recovery advocate, and founder of multiple multimillion-dollar behavioral health facilities — for a raw and deeply human conversation about transformation, faith, and building purpose-driven success from rock bottom.
Katherine opens up about her journey from a double life in high school, to addiction and self-destruction, to discovering faith, recovery, and eventually founding Laguna Shores Behavioral Health in California. Together, the trio explores what it really means to do “the work,” how pain becomes purpose, and why real success comes from building a life you no longer n...
026: Half Effort, Half Outcome
Matt admits he could never work for anyone else — the moment he’s told to “just agree,” he checks out. That sparks a debate with Anne about ownership, leadership, and how every company mirrors its founder’s effort. Anne shares how her best collaborations click when people stay in their “working genius,” while Matt explains why a team without a captain can’t steer anywhere.
The two dive into Anne’s pause on Ten to Launch, the struggle of bandwidth across multiple ventures, and why consulting can quietly delay your vision by years. From AI’s role in agencies to the m...
025: When Pain Meets Business: Boundaries, Burnout, and the Franchise Temptation
Anne opens up about her recent battle with nerve pain and how it’s forced her to rethink recovery — both physically and professionally. Matt draws a parallel between nerve pain and startup pain, sharing one of his hardest moments as a founder when investor pressure nearly derailed everything. The conversation unfolds into an honest discussion about client abuse, knowing when to walk away, and why some business pain teaches lessons no success ever could.
The episode then takes a surprising turn as Anne considers investing in a wellness franchise for cold plunges and infrared saunas — sparking a deep d...
024: Share Your Freak: Building the Brand of You
Anne reveals her newest venture — the business of Anne — and introduces her bold new brand, Share Your Freak. It’s a raw conversation about embracing the quirks we hide, turning vulnerability into connection, and creating a brand rooted in authenticity. Matt digs into how she makes massive pivots seem effortless, the signals that drive those changes, and how Anne plans to scale her personal brand into something global — without chasing money as the end goal.
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“The things that make you a freak are actually the things that set you free...023: Surviving Disruption, Thriving in Community
In this episode, Matt and Anne sit down with entrepreneur Sandra Graves, founder of Innova Industries and founder of Hub HTX. Sandra shares her journey from a initial role in the intermodal shipping world to running two different businesses—one in ISO tanks and another in community coworking.
We talk about navigating bespoke industries, the realities of starting a company during a recession, how coworking spaces survived COVID, and why resilience and intuition matter as much as strategy. Sandra’s perspective on growth, balance, and trusting your cycles is a refreshing reminder that entrepreneurship is as much abou...
022: Anne’s Finance Moves, Matt’s $500K Crypto Loss
Anne and Matt dig into how founders think about money, growth, and energy. Anne shares her recent dive into bonds, T-bills, and high-yield savings accounts—and why she treats checking accounts as “dead money.” Matt contrasts by explaining why almost every dollar he earns goes right back into ChipBot, including how shareholder loans work without changing a cap table.
The two also unpack what it means to run a consulting agency versus a product company, how networking can be reframed as marketing, and why side passions like dancing or table tennis aren’t just hobbies—they’re fuel for bus...
021: The Planner vs. The Improviser - Travel, Poker, and Startup Pressure
Anne and Matt compare two founder mindsets: Anne thrives on preparation and systems, while Matt embraces last-minute decisions and unpredictability. From hunting flight deals to playing high-stakes poker, they unpack how different approaches to stress and planning reveal much deeper truths about entrepreneurship.
This isn’t just about travel—it’s about the psychology of pressure, the art of controlling what you can, and learning when to let go.
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“Having a go-bag and pre-packed toiletries makes travel feel effortless.” — Anne “I’d rather book last minute and keep the mental cl...020: Before the Exit: Branding, Valuation, and the Hidden Runway
Anne checks in from rainy Times Square with stories of DIY travel hacks and pitching her new workshop to New York business owners. Along the way, she and Matt get into what it really takes to prepare a business for acquisition — from valuations and tax strategies to branding, systems, and the human side of customer transitions.
What starts as a conversation about packing Ziploc bags quickly turns into a candid look at exits gone right, exits gone wrong, and why most founders underestimate the time, planning, and mindset shifts required to walk away on their terms.
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019: Risk, Reward, and the Hunt for the One Big Marketing Win
Anne and Matt dive deep into the messy, thrilling, and often contradictory world of growth hacking. From coworking space partnerships and unscalable local plays to billboard-style ads with QR codes, Matt shares how he’s testing ChipBot’s fall go-to-market plan with bold, creative experiments.
The conversation goes further, unpacking the fine line between persuasion and manipulation, the hidden bias of five-star reviews, and why true customer feedback often lives in the “messy middle” of three and four stars. Together, they explore what it means to market with ethics, intuition, and human connection in a world overrun by algor...
018: Momentum Means Sacrifice, or Death by a Thousand Cuts
Anne and Matt dive into the unspoken cost of being the momentum driver in your business. They wrestle with boundaries, burnout, and what it really means to keep growth alive when you’re the one with skin in the game.
Anne opens up about shifting 75% of her energy from running her businesses into building her personal thought leadership brand, while Matt challenges the idea of slowing down and explains why he believes maintaining constant momentum is survival. Together, they explore the tension between vision and execution, the sacrifices founders make, and why separating your identity from your bu...
017: From Startup to Acquisition: Self-Care, 50 Employees, and Founder Lessons with Danika Brysha
Anne and Matt welcome their very first guest, longtime friend and self-care entrepreneur Danika Brysha. Together, they explore the unglamorous but transformative side of building both businesses and lives that actually work: from Danika’s journey through modeling, addiction, and burnout to founding Self-Care Society and guiding thousands toward daily systems that stick. Along the way, they dig into why founders so often hit “zero” when they leave structure behind, how food and wellness practices become fuel for creative work, and what it really takes to carve out inner peace while juggling toddlers, ventures, and ambition. Expect raw stories, playfu...
016: Navigating the Labyrinth: Challenges and Strategies in Podcast Marketing for "OnlyFounders"
Anne and Matt unpack the brutal, often overlooked reality of growing a podcast: from Apple’s infuriating review process to why even marketing pros hate promoting their work—plus, they share actionable strategies (live recordings, social repurposing, email tricks) and their hard-earned belief that sustainable growth is less about virality and more about showing up, consistently. Anne opens up about the "spammy" legwork of begging for reviews, while Matt compares early marketing to "eating glass," but both stress that persistence (not perfection) is the key to turning listeners into a community.
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"...015: "Breathe In Trust, Breathe Out Fear": The Founder's Rebirth & The Path to Personal Branding
Anne and Matt explore the intricate balance between professional aspirations and family duties, with Anne sharing how she prioritized her personal brand over other business ventures following Matt's question about her "one thing" and a fortunate opportunity from a New York media firm. They discuss entrepreneurship's cyclical nature with extreme highs and lows, and Anne reveals her meditation practice of "breathe in trust, breathe out fear" as a tool for intuitive decision-making and releasing control, clarifying that courage comes from confronting fear rather than eliminating it. Anne candidly recounts her healing journey from childhood trauma and postpartum anxiety during...
014: “AI's Double-Edged Sword”: Reshaping Work, Education & the Need for Human Comprehension
Anne and Matt dive deep into the pervasive influence of Artificial Intelligence, scrutinizing its rapid advancements and the consequent impact on various job markets and educational systems. They discuss how AI has already begun replacing roles like copywriters and junior coders, leading to questions about the relevance of traditional university curricula and the preparedness of new graduates. The hosts critically examine the nature of AI as a tool for enhancing human efficiency versus a shortcut that bypasses genuine learning. They emphasize the escalating importance of inherently human skills such as communication, critical thinking, and the ability to define precise...
013: “The Human Touch vs. The Algorithm”: How Founders Win Attention (and Avoid 'Yuck Marketing')
Anne and Matt dive into the often-underestimated challenges of podcast distribution and marketing, questioning if the hardest part of their journey has just begun. They discuss the critical role of empathy and human connection in effective marketing, emphasizing that genuine engagement beats "noise". The hosts debate the ethical lines of AI in personalized marketing without consent and distinguish between persuasion and manipulation. They also explore the nuances of product marketing, from the slow growth of a human-centered approach to understanding diverse buyer motivations, whether driven by emotional experience or technical features.
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012: “The 10X Thinker vs. The 10X Doer”: Why Founders Burn Out Without Execution Partners
Anne and Matt break down the founder’s most dangerous illusion: trying to be the visionary, the operator, and the technician all at once. From E-Myth’s three roles to the brutal drain of execution on future energy, they map out why “10X thinkers” burn out unless paired with “10X doers.” Matt argues founders should stop wasting tomorrow’s energy on today’s tasks, while Anne highlights how most small businesses fail when technicians try to play CEO. This episode is part therapy, part blueprint—and a reality check for anyone still equating hustle with growth.
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011: "Every Founder Has a Bark Collar Story": Panic, Guilt & the Systems That Break Us
Anne and Matt kick off with a weekend disaster—Anne’s dog, Noodles, gets caught in a bark-collar meltdown that spirals into chaos (and a bite). From there, they pivot hard into founder psychology: why crises hit hardest when you’re already stretched thin, and how business partners balance between empathy and bluntness. They cover everything from the hidden costs of “founder guilt” to why resilience isn’t about toughness but about designing better defaults. Along the way, Matt argues that failure is a signal to re-engineer systems, not yourself, while Anne pushes back with the reality of emotional fallout. It’...
010: “Do You Even Work?”: Redefining Hustle, Ownership & the Founder Headspace
Anne and Matt ask a question most founders dodge: is this still fun? They dig into what “work” even means when your job is building ideas, making money for others, or just thinking alone on a walk. Anne wrestles with whether Fix & Form is her forever company, while Matt reframes the CEO role as “just helping people make money.” From hotel lobby productivity hacks to removing emotion from poker (and startups), this one’s for founders reevaluating how—and why—they work.
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If business ownership feels like a job, it might be ti...009: “The Visionary Becomes the Director”: How Founders Win in the Age of AI
Anne and Matt map out the next frontier of creative work—and it's not copywriting, coding, or design. It’s directing. From AI-powered staffing agencies to cross-cultural startup playbooks, they explore how founders need to evolve from builders to orchestrators. Matt drops his vision for dominating Japan through AR, robotics, and bowling (yes, really), while Anne pitches “robot wrangling” as the new consulting goldmine. This episode is part forecast, part manifesto—and a wake-up call for anyone clinging to the old way of working.
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The real job of the future? Dir...008: “Lipstick on a Pig”: Manipulation, Marketing & the Ethics of Selling
Anne and Matt go deep on the blurry line between persuasion and manipulation—and what happens when you realize you can sell absolute sh*t if you want to. They dissect the ethics of marketing vs. branding, why donation-based models might be doomed, and how founders can get drunk on their own hype. Matt explains why great products don’t need lies, while Anne confesses what scared her out of digital marketing. This episode is raw, reflective, and a must-listen for founders with a conscience.
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If your marketing tactic wo...007: “You Don’t Need AI. You Need Customers”: The Founder Trap of Overengineering
Anne and Matt riff on the wildest ideas they’d build if they started from scratch today. From vibe coding and AI-powered branding sprints to drone-delivered popsicles at playgrounds, this episode is a firehose of innovation meets realism. Anne unveils a mom-fueled startup concept that’s equal parts joy and logistics hell, while Matt plays co-founder and devil’s advocate—breaking down what actually makes a business scale. It’s a masterclass in founder energy, ideation, and ruthless prioritization.
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“Vibe coding” might sound dumb—but it’s unlocking serious AI potential.Id...006: “Marketing Doesn’t Matter If You Suck”: Real Talk on Product, Trust & Growth
Anne and Matt rip apart the illusion of modern marketing—where vanity metrics and fake reviews rule, and nobody fact-checks sh*t. They debate the ethics of “fake it till you make it,” explore why good SEO doesn’t mean paying an agency forever, and call BS on overpriced brand audits. Matt breaks down why most SEO tools are overkill for startups, and Anne challenges the idea of selling services she wouldn't buy herself. The takeaway? Build something real, or don’t bother.
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“Fake it till you make it” is standard—b...005: “You Have No Time to Be Racist”: How Startups Strip Bias in the Name of Growth
Anne and Matt dive headfirst into one of the rawest convos in startup land: race, bias, and who actually gets hired. From language immersion to startup hiring pipelines, they ask what’s fair, what’s real, and what’s just PR. Anne unpacks her own biases as a founder and female consumer, while Matt challenges what DEI looks like in high-growth vs. low-growth companies. This episode isn’t trying to be politically correct—it’s trying to be honest.
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Learning language = unlocking culture. It’s not just practical, it’s transformation...004: “Business Plans Are Bullsh*t”: What Founders Actually Learn by Screwing Up
Anne and Matt unload on one of the most sacred cows in startup land: the business plan. From bootstrapping to burnout, they argue that movement—not modeling—is what drives real progress. Anne unpacks how her chaotic childhood wired her to thrive in founder chaos, while Matt reveals how failing high school didn’t stop him from cracking six figures by 23. They both agree: the faster you hit the sh*t, the faster you grow. Founders stuck in perfection mode—this one’s for you.
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Business plans are just coping mec...003: “Everything Else Is Fake”: Why People Still Crave Realness in an AI World
Anne and Matt go deep on what it means to be human in an AI-generated world. From prompt hacks to table tennis at altitude, they debate when tech adds value—and when it just fakes the funk. Anne breaks down the hormonal truth behind founder energy, while Matt drops hacks for going from zombie to flow in two minutes flat. If you're a founder riding the line between burnout and brilliance, this one hits hard.
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AI-generated content will eventually be indistinguishable from human—but that doesn’t mean we’ll care...002: “Reverse Ranking Imperfection”: Why Founders Should Embrace the Mess
Anne and Matt dive deep into the messy reality of mixing friendship and business—and why it usually doesn’t work. They unpack the emotional landmines of hiring friends, share raw confessions about sacrificing pay, and debate when founders should actually start paying themselves. Matt opens up about bootstrapping ChipBot through years of near-zero revenue and how table tennis taught him resilience. Anne drops a truth bomb about trading self-worth for runway—and what it costs. This one's for the founders running lean, playing the long game, and learning the hard way.
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001: “I Hire So I Can Look Left”: Startup Team Building Without Losing Your Mind
In the inaugural episode of OnlyFounders, Anne and Matt dive deep into the chaos and clarity that comes with running multiple ventures. Anne opens up about juggling Fix & Form, a new productized service business, a workshop on brand + exit planning, two book projects, and her love for public speaking. Matt gets real about hiring Gen Z, startup scaling pains, and why being “too nice” can backfire. Together, they unpack how founders can balance cheap labor, emotional leadership, and delegation without losing their minds—or their margins. It’s raw, it’s relatable, and it’s exactly the stuff nobody else is sayi...