In this episode, host Rachael Wonderlin sits down with returning guest Leah Peysha, a former stay-at-home mom turned corrections officer, to unpack one of the most predatory corners of the self-improvement industry: fitness MLMs.

From Instagram hashtags like #FitMom and #BoyMom to auto-pay "coaching" subscriptions that never end, Leah shares how she was targeted by a recruiter from a fitness conglomerate while navigating new motherhood, and why she got out after six months. They talk about how the "coaching the coaches" model still thrives online, why new moms are such an easy target, and how shame and self-comparison keep the cycle going.

Spoiler Alert: starving yourself on $40 shake powder isn't self-care… it's manipulation wrapped in "empowerment."

Key Takeaways:

– MLM "fitness coaching" programs prey on postpartum insecurity, promising quick results and flexible income.

– Behind the "boss babe" branding is a pyramid model, where most participants lose money while enriching those at the top.

– False claims like "get your body back fast" exploit vulnerable new moms under the guise of empowerment.

– If a product requires recruitment or constant check-ins from a "coach," it's not mentorship. It's control.

– The best protection against manipulation? Supportive friends who question what sounds too good to be true.

Memorable Quotes:

"Anything that promises you quick results or quick money is lying to you. Nothing good happens fast."

"It's so nasty that they target moms. You've just done the craziest thing your body can do, and someone's already trying to monetize your insecurity."

"I thought I was joining a fitness program, but I was really joining her income stream."

"If your coach's success depends on you buying more powder, she's not a mentor — she's your subscription service."

About the Guest:

Leah Peysha is a Cleveland-based former stay-at-home mom turned corrections officer. A returning guest from the inaugural season of "I Can't Hustle Any Harder Than This," she candidly shares her experience being recruited into a fitness MLM and how she got out, offering clear-eyed advice for new moms navigating "coach" culture online.

About Rachael:

Rachael Wonderlin is a dementia care consultant and gerontologist. She founded her consultancy, Dementia By Day, in 2014. She is the author of When Someone You Know is Living in a Dementia Care Community, Creative Engagement, and The Caregiver's Guide to Memory Care and Dementia Communities.

Find out more at www.rachaelwonderlin.com and Instagram.com/dementiabyday.

In this episode, hosts Rachael Wonderlin and Emily Naples sit down with Vancouver-based content creator and YouTuber Danielle Ryan, known for her viral commentary on the "coaches coaching coaches" economy. Danielle pulls back the curtain on how the girlboss era morphed into an online coaching pyramid, complete with fake income claims, toxic positivity, and a "keep investing in yourself" mentality. From her early yoga business to her first scam experience, Danielle shares how she fell for (and recovered from) the false promises of online coaching—and why she now uses her platform to expose predatory business practices and teach creators how to build income without exploitation.

Key Takeaways:

– Coaching ≠ Credibility. Many online "mentors" sell success they've never achieved themselves.

– MLM Mindset in Disguise. The pressure to "keep investing" and recruit others mimics multi-level marketing tactics.

– The Shame Factor. Both victims and former coaches often stay quiet out of embarrassment, allowing the cycle to continue.

– Receipts Over Reels. Income claims are easily faked. ALWAYS verify testimonials and timelines.

– Ethics Over Aesthetics. The real flex isn't flaunting wealth—it's transparency, discernment, and doing the actual work.

About the Guest:

Danielle Ryan is a Vancouver-based content creator, UGC producer, and YouTuber whose channel dives into online business scams, coaching culture, and influencer ethics. A former yoga teacher turned digital entrepreneur, she uses her platform to share the realities of self-employment, call out exploitative industry practices, and empower creators to build businesses rooted in authenticity instead of manipulation.

Resources mentioned:
– Danielle's YouTube: @itsdanielleryan
– TikTok: @itsdanielleryan

About Rachael:

Rachael Wonderlin is a dementia care consultant and gerontologist. She founded her consultancy, Dementia By Day, in 2014. She is the author of When Someone You Know is Living in a Dementia Care Community, Creative Engagement, and The Caregiver's Guide to Memory Care and Dementia Communities.

Find out more at www.rachaelwonderlin.com and Instagram.com/dementiabyday.

In this episode, hosts Rachael Wonderlin and Emily Naples sit down with clarity business coach Anna Ludwinowski – a four-time founder – to talk about the difference between real coaching and scammy promises. Anna breaks down why "I'll 10x your revenue" is a red flag, how unethical coaches prey on vulnerability, and why most founders don't need a "scale" plan. What they do need is foundational clarity, i.e., ideal clients, positioning, offers, pricing, and messaging. We also dig into ethical vetting, transparent results, and how to verify a coach before you invest money.

Key Takeaways:

– Beware the promise machine. "I'll 10x your revenue" without context is marketing, not a plan.

– Build foundations first. Ideal clients, positioning, offers, pricing, and messaging come before "scaling."

– Don't niche yourself into a corner. Think focus over hyper-niche; your skills can translate across similar service categories.

– Vet like a pro. Verify testimonials, ask for concrete deliverables, and use a free discovery call to check for fit.

– Ethics matter. A good coach is willing to say, "I'm not the right fit," and refer you elsewhere.

About the Guest:

Anna Ludwinowski is a clarity business coach and 4x founder. She's built an event décor company, scaled a packaging company to 15 employees and 7-figure years, owned a women's boutique fitness studio, and now helps solopreneurs and small teams get foundational clarity with strategy work that makes growth possible. Anna is known for no-fluff coaching, transparent deliverables, and fit-first discovery calls.

Connect with Anna:
Website: annaludwinowski.com
Instagram: instagram.com/asmallbusinesslife
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/anna-ludwinowski-strategic-business-coach Substack: asmallbusinesslife.substack.com

About Rachael:

Rachael Wonderlin is a dementia care consultant and gerontologist. She founded her consultancy, Dementia By Day, in 2014. She is the author of When Someone You Know is Living in a Dementia Care Community, Creative Engagement, and The Caregiver's Guide to Memory Care and Dementia Communities.

Find out more at www.rachaelwonderlin.com and Instagram.com/dementiabyday.

In this episode, hosts Rachael Wonderlin and Emily Naples sit down with trainer-turned-founder Rachel Ridgeway to talk about the messy middle of building online: niching down, going viral to 100K+, and realizing growth can pull you away from the community you're meant to serve. Rachel R. shares how she vetted (and benefited from) an early business coach, why she turned down most brand deals, and what pushed her to launch a wide-toe-box "barefoot" sock company, Aira Basics, plus a celebrity endorsement.

Key Takeaways:

– Niching works, as long as you make sure it still serves the audience you set out to help.
– Viral growth can change who finds you; guard your original mission as you scale.
– Vet coaches by outcomes, references, and realism; avoid "X clients in X days" promises.
– Protect audience trust: be selective with brand deals and avoid unvetted supplements.
– You don't have to live on social: products, trade shows, and partnerships are valid growth paths.

About Rachael:
Rachael Wonderlin is a dementia care consultant and gerontologist. She founded her consultancy, Dementia By Day, in 2014. She is the author of When Someone You Know is Living in a Dementia Care Community, Creative Engagement, and The Caregiver's Guide to Memory Care and Dementia Communities.

Find out more at www.rachaelwonderlin.com and Instagram.com/dementiabyday

Follow along with I Can't Hustle Any Harder Than This anywhere you get your podcasts or on YouTube at YouTube.com/rachaelwonderlin

"Our renter starts calling us on FaceTime, telling us that the toilet is overflowing and how they're trying to remove the toilet. We're like, 'Uh, don't remove the toilet!" Then they say, 'There's so much water, there's so much water everywhere! We need another unit!'"

Kara Wonderlin and Shaddy Mzeghet met in Miami in 2020 and, shortly after they began dating, started running businesses together. Be it Amazon, drop-shipping, Airbnb, vending machines, or more, they know about it and they've run it.

Tune in for insights like, "Passive income just isn't real the way the Internet makes it seem like it is" and "You're going to deal with difficult people no matter what you do!"

Follow along with I Can't Hustle Any Harder Than This anywhere you get your podcasts or on YouTube at YouTube.com/rachaelwonderlin

Meet Connie Feda, Co-Founder of Cookie Cookie Ice Cream Company in Pittsburgh, PA, a company that trains individuals living with disabilities how to bake, engage with others in a service role, and get involved with the community.

Connie is a mom of six kids and she started Cookie Cookie Ice Cream to find a place for her daughter with Down's Syndrome—now 26 years old—to work. "We couldn't find a place that worked with her in the way that she needed to train, so we decided to start something that would take time out of the equation for learning. We realized that there were a lot of people in our area who needed the same thing."

Connie's team works with 10 schools in the area to teach their students how to work with others and grow in a service role. Their cookies (and ice cream!) are phenomenal (we checked the store out after this episode) and Connie was kind enough to bring us cookies to taste.

Learn more on https://cookiecookieicecream.com

Follow our podcast, I Can't Hustle Any Harder Than This, anywhere you get your podcasts or on YouTube at YouTube.com/rachaelwonderlin

"I went home and I opened my laptop and thought, 'I'm going to find a new job.' I was on Indeed for about five minutes before I realized, I can't do this again—I can't go work for someone else. I'm going to leverage this blog I've built and turn it into a dementia consulting business."

Rachael Wonderlin started Dementia By Day as a blog in 2014 and turned it into a consulting business in 2016 after being laid off from her 9-to-5 role. "I think in order to start a business, you have to want to deal with the difficulties of starting a business. You have to be willing to wade around in the muck for a while before you can be successful."

This episode is all about the ups and downs of Rachael's start in entrepreneurship and how the road to business ownership has changed since 2016. Rachael started this podcast in early 2025 and is now finished with the first draft of her fourth book—this one about consulting!—and is on the lookout for an agent.

Find Rachael on Instagram at DementiaByDay or Can't_HustlePodcast or visit her site at rachaelwonderlin.com and dementiabyday.com

Follow our podcast, I Can't Hustle Any Harder Than This, anywhere you get your podcasts or on YouTube at YouTube.com/rachaelwonderlin

"It was the first night of our vacation and I looked at my husband and said, 'I hate my business and I don't want to do this anymore.'"

Amanda Nowak and Rachael met years ago when Amanda owned a successful, 7-figure senior living-based design business.

From the outside, everything looked perfect, but on the inside, Amanda was suffering. "I was ashamed of how I felt about my business," she says.

Amanda is now the founder and owner of Element Eight: https://element-8.com and on LinkedIn under Amanda Nowak. "Now I help people in transition periods like when they fall out of love with their business and need to either restructure or pivot, or when they're in corporate and have that entrepreneur itch. Very much a 'what the hell am I doing with me life, I know I want something else and it's not this.'"

Follow our podcast, I Can't Hustle Any Harder Than This, anywhere you get your podcasts or on YouTube under YouTube.com/rachaelwonderlin