Married to the Startup

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Married to the Startup

Alicia McKenzie

58 episodes

1 week ago

Send us a text Peloton went from a $50 billion valuation to fighting for survival. George and Alicia break down how the pandemic darling made critical mistakes: mistaking temporary demand for permanent growth, overinvesting in manufacturing, and failing to adapt when gyms reopened. From PR disasters (remember that Christmas commercial?) to deadly treadmill recalls, this episode reveals what happens when you bet the farm on a wave that was never meant to last. In This Episode: How Peloton expl...

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Entrepreneurship

Society & Culture,

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Send us a text Peloton went from a $50 billion valuation to fighting for survival. George and Alicia break down how the pandemic darling made critical mistakes: mistaking temporary demand for permanent growth, overinvesting in manufacturing, and failing to adapt when gyms reopened. From PR disasters (remember that Christmas commercial?) to deadly treadmill recalls, this episode reveals what happens when you bet the farm on a wave that was never meant to last. In This Episode: How Peloton expl...

Show more...

Entrepreneurship

Society & Culture,

Episodes (20/58)

Married to the Startup

From Pandemic Darling to a $9 Stock

Send us a text Peloton went from a $50 billion valuation to fighting for survival. George and Alicia break down how the pandemic darling made critical mistakes: mistaking temporary demand for permanent growth, overinvesting in manufacturing, and failing to adapt when gyms reopened. From PR disasters (remember that Christmas commercial?) to deadly treadmill recalls, this episode reveals what happens when you bet the farm on a wave that was never meant to last. In This Episode: How Peloton expl...

1 week ago

54 minutes

Married to the Startup

What do Fast Walkers and iRobot Have in Common?

Send us a text Absolutely nothing but check out these hot takes. What We’re Talking About Fast Walkers & Founder Energy Are you the person always five steps ahead? We unpack what walking speed says about personality, ambition, and why Alicia moves like she’s late for everything while George… does not. The iRobot Collapse Roomba went from a $1.4B category creator to bankruptcy. One great product. Zero evolution. Cheaper competitors won. Amazon almost bought them. A Chinese company ...

2 weeks ago

49 minutes

Married to the Startup

Buying a Nepo Baby's Brand | What are you really getting?

Send us a text Overview Alicia and George break down Coty's $600M acquisition of Kylie Cosmetics and debate the real value of influencer marketing. Key Points The Deal: Coty paid $600M for 51% at $1.2B valuation (2019)Bought Kylie's name, image, and all future beauty ventures—foreverForbes called her "self-made billionaire," then retracted itReal value: $340M, not $900MWhat We Discuss: Did Coty buy a business or just an influencer?Why the "evergreen deal" was genius for CotyFounder lessons: t...

3 weeks ago

37 minutes

Married to the Startup

The Rise and Fall of Away

Send us a text Episode Sponsor Relive Health - Modern wellness clinic offering peptides, hormone optimization, and vitamin therapy in Gaithersburg. What We're Discussing The story of Away, the luggage brand that went from $0 to a $1.4B valuation in just four years—and the toxic workplace culture that nearly destroyed it all. Away's Meteoric Rise Founded by two Warby Parker alums (Jen Rubio & Steph Corey) after a broken suitcase at the airportRaised $150K friends & family roundLaunc...

4 weeks ago

52 minutes

Married to the Startup

The $465M Exit Where the Founders Got Nothing

Send us a text In this week’s episode of Married to the Startup, Alicia and George pull back the curtain on one of the wildest startup stories in recent history — the fantasy-sports giant that sold for nearly half a billion dollars… and left its founders with zero. They break down: • How FanDuel raised $450M and still lost ownership control • Why preferred shares, liquidation stacks, and dilution can quietly erase a founder’s upside • The crucial difference between building ...

1 month ago

30 minutes

Married to the Startup

When Scaling Goes Wrong | The MacKenzie Child's Story

Send us a text Alicia and George break down the wild true story behind Mackenzie-Childs — the beloved ceramics brand whose founders not only lost their company…but also the rights to their own name. It’s a cautionary tale every founder needs to hear about scaling too fast, taking on debt, and trusting investors to have your best interest at heart. What We Cover The origin story of Victoria & Richard Mackenzie-ChildsHow rapid expansion and heavy debt led to disasterWhat happens when privat...

1 month ago

31 minutes

Married to the Startup

The Retake: Hitting 50 Episodes and WTF is Vibe Coding

Send us a text In this milestone 50th episode of Married to the Startup, Alicia and George McKenzie reflect on their podcast journey — from chewed cables to choppy audio — and celebrate how far they’ve come. Sponsored by Relive Health Gaithersburg, the duo dives into midlife motivation, hormone health, and the rise of personalized wellness, sharing candid experiences with peptides, functional medicine, and navigating health in their late 30s and 40s. The conversation naturally expands into th...

1 month ago

39 minutes

Married to the Startup

When Your Mom Comes to the Interview

Send us a text Alicia and George are back with a mix of tech, family, and finance talk that somehow leads to a debate about eye contact and manners. What They Talk About: • The recent AWS outage that broke half the internet — Starbucks, United, and even Reddit went dark. • How a handful of tech giants control most of the world’s data and what that means for all of us. • Whether AI is becoming a crutch for small talk and connection. Alicia’s advice: get a dog instead. • The McKenzie kids’ ...

2 months ago

35 minutes

Married to the Startup

Authenticity, Bail Bonds, and Buying a Business

Send us a text Alicia and George unpack why authenticity wins over appearances, how bail actually works (because Alicia had no idea), the tradeoffs of buying a company versus building one, and the right way to ask for a warm intro without being annoying. Key Takeaways Authenticity scales trust. Performative branding cracks under pressure.Starting up = freedom and speed, but cash is tight. Buying = instant revenue, but you inherit baggage.Culture resets are hardest after acquisitions. Identify...

2 months ago

33 minutes

Married to the Startup

Motivation, Arrogance and Fitzgerald Grant III

Send us a text In this candid and often hilarious episode, Alicia and George McKenzie unpack the myth of “natural greatness.” From raising five kids (and now three dogs) to running companies and managing chaos, they explore how success really comes down to doing small things well — every single day. They cover: Why greatness isn’t born — it’s built through repetition and resilience.The fine line between confidence and arrogance (and the phrases to avoid).Raising grounded kids in an over-infor...

2 months ago

31 minutes

Married to the Startup

Integrity Over Opportunity, Idea Creep and George's Muscle Gain

Send us a text In this episode of Married to the Startup, Alicia and George McKenzie dive into how integrity and self-awareness play into both business and personal life. From turning down misaligned opportunities to parenting through modern social challenges, this conversation is uncomfortable but necessary. They discuss: Why saying “no” to the wrong opportunity protects your brand and valuesThe blurred lines of respect and disagreement in today’s online cultureTeaching kids to recogni...

3 months ago

26 minutes

Married to the Startup

Building Trust, Navigating Change, and the Future of Work

Send us a text In this episode, Alicia and George pull back the curtain on what it really takes to maintain trust—at home, in business, and everywhere in between. Recorded just after a whirlwind trip to San Francisco for Alicia’s upcoming children’s book launch, the two share their raw impressions of a city in transition (empty hotels, shuttered malls, and the unexpected highlight: a driverless Waymo ride). From there, the conversation dives deep into relationships and the ongoing work of bui...

3 months ago

37 minutes

Married to the Startup

Episode 18 (Replay): Be the CEO of Your Health — Functional Medicine, Biomarkers & Building Your Longevity “Team” with Greg Shindler

Send us a text Episode snapshot Functional medicine isn’t “woo”—it’s a systems-level approach that treats root causes, not just symptoms. In this replay, Greg Shindler (aka “The Longevity CEO”) joins Alicia and George to reframe health like a business: set a vision, hire the right team, track the right KPIs, and iterate. We get practical on labs and wearables, epigenetic clocks (Horvath, GrimAge, DunedinPACE), peptides and where they do—and don’t—fit, why inflammation is the common denominato...

3 months ago

55 minutes

Married to the Startup

The Exit Plan Nobody Talks About — Startups, AI, and Staying Married

Send us a text In this episode, Alicia and George dive into two conversations that stopped them in their tracks: AI & Privacy: Did you know ChatGPT conversations briefly showed up on Google search results? We unpack what that means for your data, why privacy settings matter, and how people are (mis)using AI as therapists, lawyers, and business consultants.Life After the Exit: Everyone talks about how to position your company for sale—but nobody talks about what happens after. From identit...

3 months ago

35 minutes

Married to the Startup

Back-to-School, Business Stress, and the Art of Sales

Send us a text This week on Married to the Startup, Alicia and George open up about navigating big transitions—sending their oldest to college, walking their youngest into preschool, and everything in between. They explore how kids mirror our emotions, why community is essential at every age, and the surprising ways parenting and entrepreneurship overlap. Inside the episode: Parenting through change: helping kids (and yourself) handle new beginnings.Building (and needing) community as both a ...

4 months ago

36 minutes

Married to the Startup

Six New Wealth Levels, Risk vs. Peace of Mind, and Why UGC Is Beating Big-Budget Ads

Send us a text After a summer pause, Alicia and George are back—refreshed and ready to stir the pot. They break down a buzzy “wealth ladder” that splits the economy into six net-worth levels (not income), talk honestly about what actually helps you level up, and dig into the trade-off between equity and peace of mind. Then they switch gears to marketing: why user-generated content (UGC) is outperforming polished campaign shoots, how brands can use it, and what that means for creators and smal...

4 months ago

36 minutes

Married to the Startup

Replaying "You Can't Legislate Boundaries."

Send us a text Overview: Replaying the most listened to episode. Alicia and George McKenzie share about what “wellness” actually looks like when you're raising five kids, running companies, and still trying to have a conversation that doesn’t involve snack negotiations or Slack notifications. They dig into cold plunges, ketone shots, and why Alicia only answers emails on Mondays—plus, their take on the California bill that lets workers ignore their boss after hours. Spoiler: boundaries ...

5 months ago

34 minutes

Married to the Startup

Anxiety Patches, Unlimited PTO, and When to Switch to an S-Corp

Send us a text In this episode, Alicia shares her surprising results using a new anxiety patch that actually lowered her daytime stress levels, backed by data from her Oura Ring. George gives it a try too and opens up about his own high-stress moments managing life solo with the kids. The couple also breaks down what it really means to be "busy" versus just living a full life, and they reflect on techniques like tapping, supplements, and biohacks for managing high performance without burning ...

5 months ago

38 minutes

Married to the Startup

Peptides, Private Equity and Profit

Send us a text In this episode, Alicia and George McKenzie take you inside their latest wellness routines, including peptide injections and biohacking for recovery, cognitive performance, and longevity. They share how tracking health KPIs is just as important as business KPIs, especially when you're running companies, raising kids, and chasing long-term vitality. The duo also unpacks the story of a six-month-old SaaS startup that was acquired by Wix for $80M in cash—built by a solo founder le...

5 months ago

41 minutes

Married to the Startup

A Conversation with Amri Kibbler | What Happens When the Founders Get Sick?

Send us a text In this raw and powerful episode of Married to the Startup, Alicia McKenzie sits down with Amri Kibbler—entrepreneur, community builder, and founder of HeyMama—to talk about the dual challenges of scaling a company and facing a life-threatening illness. After two successful acquisitions and a diagnosis of stage three colorectal cancer, Amri opens up about the role of self-care, the complexities of founder relationships, and how stress silently builds in the body. Together, they...

6 months ago

44 minutes