Ep. 56 | Every Yes Is a No: How to Build a Business You Don't Hate.
What happens when the business you built for freedom becomes another job you cannot escape?
Michelle Kuan, founder of MLKMEDIA, joins Heather Cooper and Blakely Graham to share how she built a fast-growing marketing agency and why she eventually had to make it smaller. She opens up about burnout, values-aligned leadership, and learning that every yes comes with a no.
Michelle also shares how strength training helped her build confidence and value what her body could do instead of trying to make it smaller.
Plus, Heather and Blakely unpack the backlash to Sydney Sweeney's sports-betting campaign.
Key Takeaways:
Why every yes is also a no to something else
How keeping promises to yourself builds confidence and self-trust
Why a profitable client can still be wrong for your business
How values make difficult business decisions clearer
Why throwing more money at burnout rarely addresses the structure causing it
What it can look like to shrink a business in order to save yourself
Why returning to your original purpose can make work meaningful again
How to separate healthy ambition from the endless chase for the next number
Why strong leadership includes protecting your team and learning from early mistakes
How strength training helped Michelle shift her focus from appearance to performance
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Michelle Kuan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmichellekuan/
Michelle Kuan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleliukuan
MLKMEDIA: https://mlkmedia.com/
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Links & Mentions:
MLKMEDIA: https://mlkmedia.com/ (Michelle's marketing agency for health, wellness, and fitness brands)
Coilie, The Modern Landline: https://coilieco.com/product (Blakely's shareable smile)
Voicemails for Isabelle on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81716219 (Michelle's shareable smile)
Sydney Sweeney sports-betting ad coverage: https://www.axios.com/2026/09/18/novig-sydney-sweeney-ad-backlash-women-in-sports
ESPN The Body Issue archive: https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/27400369/the-body-issue
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