How to Bet on Yourself and Build a Business Around Freedom

The Mission Driven Business Podcast

Building a business around freedom is more than a financial decision, it’s a deeply personal one. In this episode, Brian Thompson sits down with Kyra Mitchell Lewis, a brand strategist, marketer, podcast host, and founder of Studio Wonderwell and Glow Up, Gyrl, to talk about what it truly means to bet on yourself. Kyra shares how more than 20 years in corporate marketing led her to a pivotal moment of liberation, how she built a thriving consulting business in under a year, and why keeping an open mind has been one of her greatest entrepreneurial assets.

 

A Business Built Around Purpose

Kyra defines a mission-driven business as one built around a deeper purpose that guides every decision and serves people meaningfully while still generating enough revenue to sustain the work. Her definition mirrors her own entrepreneurial journey.

After more than two decades in corporate marketing, managing large teams and climbing the ladder, Kyra found herself increasingly disconnected from the impact she wanted to have. The money was good, but it no longer felt like her. Then she was laid off. Rather than feeling devastated, she felt free.

 

Betting on Yourself

Her husband, himself an entrepreneur, wasn’t immediately convinced. He asked whether she was going to look for another corporate job. Her answer was firm: absolutely not. She gave herself six months to prove what she had always believed she was capable of. Before long she was earning more than she had in her corporate role and doing it on her own terms. The anxiety she had braced for never arrived. In its place was trust: in herself, in her skills, and in something bigger than the numbers.

 

The Power of Staying Open

One of the most compelling threads of this conversation is Kyra’s willingness to let her business evolve. She didn’t launch with a perfectly defined business plan. Studio Wonderwell grew organically from the marketing expertise she had spent decades building, but she never forced herself into a single box. Along the way she discovered a love for facilitating group conversations around relationships and communication. As Brian puts it, following the spark matters. Knowing what lights you up and staying open to where it leads is one of the most important things an entrepreneur can do.

 

Practical Lessons for Building a Business

Kyra distills her first six months into a handful of lessons that are as practical as they are grounding.

  • Start with a clear purpose statement at the core of everything you do, even if the work around it continues to shift.
  • Have lots of conversations and let people know what you do, because opportunities come from visibility.
  • Build repeatable systems and workflows early, using tools like AI to automate the administrative tasks that drain your time and focus.
  • Design offers that genuinely address a pain point.
  • Set boundaries, not just with clients but with yourself, because entrepreneurial energy and ideas are abundant and protecting your focus is what keeps the work sustainable.

 

Celebrate the Progress

In six months of building, Kyra hadn’t stopped to say to herself, “you did a good job”. During the conversation, she reflected on the people who had reached out about corporate roles along the way, and on the fact that she had chosen, every time, to bet on herself instead. As Brian reminds her, there is no finish line to wait for. The business is being built right now, and real life is happening right now. Taking a moment to acknowledge how far you have come is part of the work.

 

Resources + Links

 

About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast

Brian Thompson, JD/CFP®, is a tax attorney and Certified Financial Planner® who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit.

On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.