Episode 299: Scaling with Confidence: Why CTS Live is the One Big Domino for Your Practice with Krista Donargo, SGA
Business on Top with Kaeli Lindholm
Release Date: 12/29/2025
Business on Top with Kaeli Lindholm
Welcome to the very first episode of Business on Top, a podcast created for women who are building, leading, and navigating the complexities of growth in a world that hasn’t fully caught up to their reality. In this opening conversation, I share the deeper truth behind what so many of us as women are experiencing, but haven’t always had the language to articulate. As we step into greater financial leadership, build companies, and expand our influence, the traditional ideas of “work-life balance” and “doing it all” start to fall short. What I’ve found instead is a much more...
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Episode 315 marks the end of an era, and the beginning of something entirely new. After five and a half years of recording weekly episodes, this final chapter of the Fierce Factor Podcast is both a reflection and a turning point. What started in 2020 as a space to give women permission, to want more, to build bigger, to pursue both impact and financial success, has grown into something far more meaningful. This podcast has been a place for honest conversations, for finding your voice, and for navigating the very real, often unspoken experience of building a business and a life at the same...
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In this episode, I’m bringing you a replay from our recent SPARK sprint, where we focused on strengthening operational leadership inside growing aesthetic and wellness practices. During this conversation, I sat down with Melanie Crowley, Practice Manager at Renova Aesthetics, to talk through her journey from elementary education into managing a multi-million dollar business, without a traditional background in this industry. What unfolds is an honest and highly relatable look at what it means to step into leadership before you feel fully ready, and build confidence through action. Together,...
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In this episode, I’m sitting down with Whitney Stanford, Practice Manager of Meg Fox Aesthetics, for a conversation I’ve been really looking forward to sharing. This episode is a replay from Day 3 of our SPARK event, where we focused on strengthening operational leadership inside growing practices. We talk about what leadership actually looks like when you’re in that seat between vision and execution, responsible for taking big ideas and turning them into something your team can consistently carry out across a growing, multi-location practice. Whitney shares her experience navigating...
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This week’s episode of The Fierce Factor Podcast is a special one. We’re bringing you a replay from Day 1 of SPARK, our leadership intensive designed for aesthetic practice owners and practice managers, and the official introduction of the KLC Practice Manager Academy. Built over two years of real-world application, this program was created to address one of the most critical gaps in the aesthetics industry: operational leadership. Because what gets a practice to its first level of success is rarely what sustains it as it grows. In this episode, we unpack the leadership challenges that...
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In this bonus replay episode, I shared something really personal, and honestly, deeply relevant to anyone navigating growth as a business owner. While traveling during my son’s lacrosse season last summer, I found myself experiencing that familiar entrepreneurial anxiety…the kind that shows up when you’re away from your business and wondering if things are still running smoothly without you. That season pushed me to take a closer look at how I was leading, how I was protecting my energy, and what I was actually saying yes to in my day-to-day. It became about more than just time...
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In this replay episode, we’re revisiting one of the most important leadership decisions every growing practice owner faces: should you promote someone from within, or bring in outside leadership talent? As founders, many of us build our businesses around the skills we know best—whether that’s clinical excellence or coaching expertise. But the transition from hands-on provider to visionary CEO requires a completely different leadership skill set. In this conversation, we unpack common mistakes that can slow growth, like overpaying for experienced hires before your business is ready, or...
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We’re taking you back into the room at our 2025 ALT Experience for a special replay from the stage. In this conversation, I sit down with founders and CEOs Meg Fox, Sara Trammell, and Allie Edwards to talk about what it really means to create a white glove patient experience inside a growing practice. Not the kind that feels forced or fancy for the sake of appearance, but the kind rooted in intention, standards, and leadership. We unpack how each of them defines white glove service in a way that fits their brand, and how they ensure it’s felt consistently, from the first click online to...
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This week on The Fierce Factor Podcast, we’re bringing you another powerful replay from the ALT Experience 2025 stage, and this one is all about what leadership really looks like inside a scaling practice. I sit down with three high-level operators and practice leaders, Amanda Siem, Melanie Crowley, and Liz Grad Murphy, for an honest, behind-the-scenes conversation about managing teams, building trust, and navigating the often complicated dynamic between founders and managers. We unpack what it actually takes to turn vision into action, how to coach instead of constantly fixing, and why...
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In this week’s episode, we’re bringing you a powerful panel replay straight from our ALT 2025 stage: Retain to Grow: Designing Development Runways for High-Growth Employees. On this panel, Kaeli is joined by Shelby Miller, DNP, Heidi Hermel, NP, and Rachel King, FNP-C. Each of these founders leads a thriving practice with strong team culture. And notably, each operates under a different compensation structure. Three different models. Three successful, growing organizations. This panel conversation dives deep into what it really takes to attract, develop, and retain top talent in today’s...
info_outlineI know what it feels like to be stuck in the "messy middle" of practice growth, that stage where you’ve achieved success, but you’ve also become the absolute bottleneck of your own business. I’ve spent years coaching female founders through this exact inflection point, and in this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on why I created Confidence to Scale LIVE.
During this conversation, KLC Strategic Growth Advisor, Krista Donargo, and I break down exactly what you can expect during our upcoming live kickoff in Manhattan Beach on January 9th and 10th. I share my core philosophy that scaling isn't actually about adding more complexities to your plate; it’s about subtracting and building a better framework that allows you to confidently let go of the weeds.
We walk through the six milestones of our 90-day blueprint, including how to unearth your million-dollar confidence and create a proprietary method that makes your practice competitionless. This isn't just about a two-day event, it’s about the 90 days of personalized coaching and accountability that follow to ensure these systems actually stick in your practice.
If you are tired of trying to scale on sheer willpower and you're ready to find that "one big domino" that will knock over all the rest, this episode is for you. I’m personally inviting you to join our January 2026 cohort of Confidence to Scale LIVE, and finally start digging up the dirt to lay a real foundation instead of just hanging more chandeliers.
Resources
→ Learn more & secure your spot for Confidence to Scale Live
→ Join the Fierce Factor Society
→ Follow Kaeli on Instagram: @kaeli.lindholm
Additional Ways to Connect:
- Book a Discovery Call: Ready to scale with intention? Let’s map out your next strategic move.
Listen in to hear how we help you reclaim your time and energy, and if you’re ready to take that next empowered step with me, I’d love for you to jump on a private call with our team to see if CTS Live is the right fit for your next level of growth.