When Success Stops Feeling Like Success: The Burnout, the Exit, and the Freedom Play

What happens when you scale a business… and realize you’re no longer happy inside it?

In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C., Sonia sits down with Ian Noble, a former operator of a 16-location family dry cleaning business in Austin, Texas, who grew the company, modernized operations, survived COVID, and still found himself burned out.

Ian shares the story behind scaling a service-based business: becoming the bottleneck, managing 90+ employees, navigating low margins, and pivoting the brand as customer demand shifted toward convenience and delivery. On the outside, the business was successful. Revenue was strong. The footprint was solid.

But internally? The drive started fading.

Ian opens up about the moment he realized he was physically present at home but mentally somewhere else, and how that became the signal that it was time to exit. He explains what founders often misunderstand about growth and success, why money doesn’t automatically create happiness, and how redefining “freedom” reshaped his next chapter.

After the sale, Ian leaned into real estate investing, building both active and passive income streams, not as a hype play, but as a strategic way to create time flexibility and long-term wealth outside of one primary business.

This episode is for founders who:

• Are scaling but secretly exhausted
• Feel like they’ve become the bottleneck
• Are questioning whether success still feels aligned
• Are thinking about exiting a business
• Want to build wealth outside their main company
• Are navigating founder burnout and identity shifts

Sonia brings the conversation back to what Tenacity is about: resilience, rebuilding, and defining success on your own terms, not the market’s.

Because sometimes the bravest move isn’t scaling harder. It’s stepping back.

Listen or watch full episodes: https://soniacouto.com/

AI can generate content in seconds.

Polished videos are everywhere.

Websites all sound the same.

So what actually wins in 2026?

In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C., Sonia sits down with Wes Towers, founder of Uplift360, to unpack why real, imperfect, human content is becoming the ultimate competitive advantage.

Wes shares:

• The costly mistake that taught him to stay in his niche
• Why trust is eroding in trades, and how to rebuild it
• Why a less-than-perfect Google rating can increase credibility
• How founders can stand out in an AI-saturated world
• And the personal resilience required when life hits hard, but business doesn’t stop

This conversation isn’t about algorithms.

It’s about authenticity, discipline, and building a reputation that scales.

If you’re a founder wondering how to compete when AI can do “everything,” this episode will show you why being human is your moat.

Listen or watch full episodes: https://soniacouto.com/

Legacy brands aren’t failing because their products are bad; they’re struggling because their systems, habits, and leadership decisions move more slowly than the market.

In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C., Sonia sits down with Joshua Lee, an e-commerce operator who helps legacy manufacturers and multi-generational brand owners modernize for today’s marketplaces without losing the heritage and soul that made the business work in the first place.

They get real about what actually blocks transformation (hint: it’s not tech, it’s fear), why manufacturers hesitate to sell on Amazon or Walmart Marketplace, and what happens when offline-first brands suddenly have to learn B2C, paid ads, fees, customer service, and channel strategy, all at once.

If you’re a founder building in e-commerce, retail, manufacturing, or B2B, this episode breaks down the mindset shift and practical first moves that set brands that adapt apart from those that stall.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

-Why legacy brands delay digital moves for years, until a “life event” forces action

-The #1 fear founders have about Amazon: conflict with wholesale distributors

-Why strong offline brands struggle online: fees, ads, competition, and a new business model

-How to think about marketplaces like Amazon vs Walmart (and why inventory = power)

-The biggest mistake brands make when launching on Amazon: not taking the channel seriously

-A smart “first step” for founders who feel behind: a leadership readiness assessment

-Joshua’s definition of success: building a business with integrity, peace, and long-term vision

If you’re rebuilding, pivoting, or preparing a company for the next generation, this one will sharpen your thinking.

Listen or watch full episodes: https://soniacouto.com/

Being busy feels productive until your revenue stalls, your calendar is full, and nothing meaningful is actually moving.

In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C., Sonia unpacks why busyness is one of the most dangerous traps for founders and how identifying the one thing can unlock real growth. Joined by global CEO coach Loïc Potjes, this conversation strips away hustle culture and replaces it with clarity, discipline, and focused execution.

Together, they break down how founders unknowingly create their own chaos, why most leaders confuse activity with progress, and how to diagnose the true constraint holding a company back, whether it’s leadership behaviour, a weak value proposition, or a lack of market focus.

This episode is a must-listen if you’re overwhelmed, overcommitted, and still asking yourself why growth feels so hard.

• Why being busy is not the same as building momentum
• The simple question that cuts through overwhelm and exposes the real bottleneck
• How to identify the one thing that actually moves the needle
• Why most founders procrastinate, and what it has to do with misaligned strengths
• How to clarify your USP in 5 words and stop sounding like everyone else
• The leadership shift required when strategy isn’t the problem, you are
• A practical way to regain focus before building a 30-day growth plan

Sonia guides the conversation with the lens every founder needs: tenacity, resilience, and disciplined thinking. This isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing what matters.

If you’re ready to step off the hamster wheel and build with intention, this episode will change how you work, lead, and grow.

Most people think writing a book means sitting alone for months, struggling with words, doubting their ability, and hoping something good comes out the other side.

That belief is wrong, and it’s costing founders credibility, confidence, and revenue.

In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C., Sonia sits down with Ben Cena, founder of High Value Author, to break down why publishing a book is not about being a writer, it’s about being strategic.

This is a conversation for founders, consultants, and leaders who want to build authority, attract better clients, and turn their expertise into leverage, without burning years trying to “write.”

Ben explains:

-Why every leader already knows a book, even if English isn’t their first language

-The difference between being a writer and being an author, and why that distinction matters

-How most leaders sabotage their books by skipping strategy and alignment

-Why books are solutions to problems, not creative projects

-The biggest mistakes leaders make when self-publishing

-How a book can increase conversions, credibility, and confidence

-When publishing a book actually makes sense, and when it doesn’t

-Why execution matters more than ideas in a market with millions of books

Sonia brings the conversation back to what leaders really care about:

-clarity, momentum, confidence, and progress.

If you’re building a personal brand, consulting business, or leadership platform, and you’ve been told “you need a book” but don’t know where to start, this episode gives you the logic, structure, and mindset shift to decide your next move.

This isn’t about becoming an author for ego. It’s about using a book as a tool for growth, credibility, and resilience.

Most founders obsess over building the product, but not when they exit, and that’s where they lose leverage, leave money on the table, and sometimes watch their company’s culture get dismantled after the deal.

In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C., Sonia sits down with Kevon Saber (multi-exit founder and the mind behind Legacy Outcomes) to unpack the uncomfortable truth: the M&A system favours repeat buyers, not first-time sellers. Kevon shares what he learned after multiple exits, why smart founders still get outmaneuvered, how to prepare your company years before a sale, and how to protect your people and mission when private equity or a strategic buyer comes knocking.

You’ll learn:

• Why founders often get “intoxicated” by the idea of an exit, and how it costs them
• The difference between selling and achieving a peak outcome (right buyer, right price, right terms)
• What buyers actually value (hint: it’s not always the flashy partnerships)
• The 3 pillars to build with exit in mind: team, systems/documentation, and unit economics
• How to improve metrics before going to market, and why a good advisor may tell you to wait 6–12 months
• How to reduce regret by defining your seller objectives before emotions take over
• How founders can put commitments in writing (employees, pricing, community/charity) and why buyer character matters even more
• A real founder lesson: you can change skills, but you can’t change character, and why co-founder alignment is everything
• What “spark” interest from a big company really means, and what a realistic timeline to close actually looks like

If you’re bootstrapping, pre-revenue, scaling fast, or simply building something you care deeply about, this conversation is your reminder: exit strategy isn’t a last-minute event, it’s a leadership decision.

Listen or watch full episodes: https://soniacouto.com/

Share your biggest takeaway and tag me: https://www.instagram.com/soniactech

What if the biggest thing holding your business back… is you?

In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C., Sonia sits down with Jason Berkowitz, founder and CEO of a 15-year SEO agency, to unpack one of the hardest lessons founders must learn to scale: the power of delegation.

Jason shares his journey from solo operator to agency leader, and why trying to do everything himself nearly became the biggest bottleneck in his business. Together, Sonia and Jason have a raw, honest conversation about letting go of control, trusting your team, and why founders who refuse to delegate often stall their own growth.

They dive into:

• Why do founders become the biggest bottleneck in their companies
• The mindset shift required to move from freelancer to scalable founder
• How delegation unlocks better execution, stronger teams, and real growth
• Letting go of the fear that “no one will care as much as I do.”
• Making tough people decisions without guilt
• Building a business that scales without burnout or constant hustle

This episode is for founders who feel overwhelmed, stretched thin, or stuck doing everything themselves, and know something has to change.

If you’ve ever thought “I’ll just do it myself”, this conversation may be the wake-up call you need.

Listen or watch full episodes: https://soniacouto.com/

Share your biggest takeaway and tag me: https://www.instagram.com/soniactech

Every founder eventually faces the same hard question:

Do I pivot, or do I hold the line?

In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C., I sit down with award-winning filmmaker and executive producer Jaze Bordeaux to unpack what that decision really looks like when everything is on the line.

Jaze shares the behind-the-scenes reality of independent filmmaking, from raising capital and navigating chaos to losing a third of his story mid-production and still completing what most never do. We discuss why filmmaking is no different from building a startup, how structure can save your vision, and why knowing what to kill versus what to protect is one of the most critical leadership skills a founder can develop.

This conversation is for founders, creators, and entrepreneurs who are navigating pressure from investors, constant pivots, and the temptation to compromise to keep moving forward.

In this episode, we cover:

-When pivoting is strategic, and when it costs you your vision

-How to lead when everything is breaking at once

-Why most projects fail before they ever reach the market

-The difference between ideas that sink your business and ideas that elevate it

-How patience, timing, and structure create real momentum

If you’re building something original and questioning whether to change course or stand your ground, this episode will help you think clearly, lead strongly, and move forward with conviction.

Listen or watch full episodes: https://soniacouto.com/

Share your biggest takeaway and tag me: https://www.instagram.com/soniactech