How This Female Founder Grew a $5K Startup Into a $3M Period Care Business With Amazon | Entrepreneurship | Katie Diasti | Presented by Amazon

Adam Schafer turned childhood adversity into a business superpower. Despite growing up in poverty, he went on to co-found Mind Pump, a fitness podcast that became a multimillion-dollar business. Instead of chasing viral fame, Adam and his partners published over 240 free podcast episodes before selling their first digital fitness program, building such a loyal audience that customers began asking how they could support the company. In this episode, Adam shares how his difficult upbringing shaped his approach to entrepreneurship, how to build successful business partnerships, and how he scaled Mind Pump without relying on millions of followers.

Adam Grant once struggled to build real connections, often watching conversations stall after a single question. Now, as social skills fade and people replace face-to-face interactions with social media and chatbots, building genuine human connection has never felt harder. In this episode, Adam draws from his new book, Vibe, to unpack how mismatched expectations can create disappointment and conflict, even in relationships that seem strong. He also shares how understanding the four relationship wavelengths (associates, allies, pals, and companions) can help entrepreneurs set healthy boundaries, resolve conflict, and build stronger friendships and business partnerships.

Tori Dunlap grew up learning how to manage her personal finances, but she soon realized that many women had never been taught how to build wealth. Instead, they were often encouraged to spend less, feel guilty about wanting more, and leave major financial decisions to men. Tori knew money could offer something far greater: freedom. After saving $100,000 by age 25, she quit her corporate job and turned her side hustle, Her First $100K, into a multimillion-dollar business. In this episode, Tori shares how to overcome financial shame, spend without guilt, manage debt strategically, and achieve financial freedom through saving and investing.

Lisa Curtis built Kuli Kuli into a $10M+ superfood business, but it took ten years to become profitable. Her biggest turning point came when she shifted focus from leading with the mission-driven messaging that makes up the core of the business to highlighting how her products directly benefited customers. That lesson now shapes Kuli Kuli's growth in Amazon's store, where sales are doubling year over year. In this episode, recorded at Amazon Accelerate 2026, Lisa explains how entrepreneurs can use Amazon's seller tools to understand customer demand, refine products before bigger launches, and drive repeat sales.

Before KIND Snacks became a multibillion-dollar brand, Daniel Lubetzky spent a decade struggling to grow his business, PeaceWorks, despite believing deeply in its mission to foster peace through commerce. Inspired by his Holocaust-survivor father, he had chosen entrepreneurship over a legal career to pursue that mission. But his passion wasn't enough to sell products, and years of poor decisions and expanding too quickly nearly forced him to give up. In this episode, the Shark Tank judge shares how he turned 10 years of failure into the launch of KIND Snacks, and how entrepreneurs can create products customers actually want, invest wisely in growth, and build strong teams without compromising their values.