Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset.

Today I sat down with Gabby Arancio, Founder and CEO of GamePlan Skincare, the first skincare brand built specifically for athletes. Before she was a founder, Gabby spent a decade as an athletic trainer — at LSU in the SEC, with the Miami Dolphins in the NFL, and as head trainer for Miami FC — which is where she noticed the problem nobody was solving: by her count, most of the athletes she worked with struggled with sport-induced breakouts, and there was nothing built to handle it.

In this episode, Gabby breaks down how she built GamePlan from the sidelines, the emotional story behind why she actually started the company, how she sourced and tested her formula directly with real athletes instead of guessing, and her advice for founders raising their first round.

This is the episode for anyone who's ever had an idea and needed one person to believe in them first.

Key Topics Covered:

— Growing up in New Jersey and choosing Miami for college

— Discovering athletic training as a major

— Becoming one of the first female students at UM awarded an NFL internship, with the Miami Dolphins

— Life on staff at LSU during the 2019 National Championship season

— Becoming head athletic trainer for Miami FC

— The insight that started GamePlan: sport-induced breakouts nobody was solving

— The friend who told her to go build it — and the loss that came days later

— Why his initials are on every GamePlan package

— Sourcing formula and manufacturing, and why she chose a Korean lab over domestic options

— Testing the product directly with athletes instead of guessing

— Sending her first international wire while still working full-time

— Early demand from sports agencies for athlete care packages

— Raising a friends-and-family pre-seed round, and why she's raising a seed round now

— Selling out at Urban Outfitters four times

— Becoming a top pick on Amazon in her category

— Her advice for founders on fundraising, hiring, and product versus aesthetics

— Why she says to ask the market before you build

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome + Introducing Gabby Arancio

10:11 – Growing Up in New Jersey & Choosing Miami on a Whim

10:18 – Discovering Athletic Training as a Major

14:20 – Becoming One of the First Female NFL Interns with the Miami Dolphins

15:58 – Life on Staff at LSU During the 2019 National Championship Run

18:00 – Becoming Head Athletic Trainer for Miami FC

21:50 – What GamePlan Skincare Actually Is

24:30 – The Friend Who Told Her to Go Build It & the Loss That Followed

31:55 – Sourcing & Manufacturing: Why She Chose a Korean Lab

33:18 – Sending Her First International Wire While Working Full-Time at Miami FC

35:45 – Testing Formula & Packaging Directly with Athletes

37:21 – Early Demand from Sports Agencies for Athlete Care Packages

38:53 – The Friends-and-Family Pre-Seed Round & Raising a Seed Round Today

40:30 – Selling Out at Urban Outfitters & Becoming an Amazon Top Pick

48:13 – Founder Advice: Fundraising, Hiring, Product vs. Aesthetic

42:02 – Lightning Round

52:00 – Where to Find Gabby Arancio & GamePlan Skincare

Tags:

Gabby Arancio, GamePlan Skincare, athlete skincare, sport-induced breakouts, women founders, female entrepreneur, skincare startup, CPG founder, athletic trainer, NFL, LSU football, Miami FC, seed round, bootstrapping a startup, Urban Outfitters, Amazon best seller, STACKED podcast, Emily Dempsey, Brickell Babes, women in business podcast, founder story

Disclaimer:
The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset.

This week I'm going solo to answer the question I get asked more than almost anything else: how do you actually buy your first Bitcoin? There are three ways to do it — a brokerage or exchange, a Bitcoin ETF, or a cold wallet — and I walk through exactly how each one works, plus the tradeoff nobody explains clearly enough: what you actually own versus what you think you own.

I break down why Bitcoin sitting on an exchange is technically an IOU (and what that meant for FTX customers in 2022), why an ETF gets you price exposure but not the asset itself, and why a cold wallet — an $80 to $150 device — is the only way to hold the real thing.

I also give you my own rule for how the strategy should change depending on how much you're buying: $500, $5,000, or $50,000+.

This is the no-fluff, beginner-friendly breakdown I wish someone had given me before I bought my first Bitcoin.

Key Topics Covered:

— The 3 ways to buy Bitcoin: exchange, ETF, cold wallet

— How buying on an exchange actually works, step by step

— Why Bitcoin on an exchange is technically an IOU

— The bag-in-a-warehouse analogy for custody risk

— What happened to customer funds when FTX collapsed in 2022

— What a Bitcoin ETF actually is, and what it isn't

— Why an ETF is "paper Bitcoin," not the real asset

— What a cold wallet is and how much it costs

— Setting up a cold wallet and generating a seed phrase

— Why the seed phrase is the actual key to your Bitcoin

— What happens if you lose your cold wallet

— Emily's dollar-amount rule: $500 vs. $5,000 vs. $50,000+

— Multisig authentication as a middle-ground option

— Why "sats" are the name behind the show

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome + How to Buy Your First Bitcoin
01:36 – The 3 Main Ways to Buy Bitcoin: Exchange, ETF, or Cold Wallet
01:56 – Option 1: Buying Bitcoin on an Exchange (Step-by-Step)
02:24 – The Hidden Catch: Why Your Bitcoin May Be an IOU
02:40 – Understanding Custody Risk with the Warehouse Analogy
03:10 – What Happened with FTX and Why It Matters
03:20 – Option 2: What a Bitcoin ETF Actually Is
03:47 – Why ETFs Are Often Called "Paper Bitcoin"
04:06 – Option 3: Cold Wallets and Self-Custody Explained
04:33 – How to Set Up a Cold Wallet and Protect Your Seed Phrase
05:17 – What Happens If You Lose Your Cold Wallet?
05:35 – Emily's Bitcoin Strategy for Different Investment Amounts ($500, $5,000, and $50,000+)
06:53 – Final Thoughts + Where to Find More from STACKED

Tags:

how to buy Bitcoin, Bitcoin for beginners, buying Bitcoin on an exchange, Bitcoin ETF explained, cold wallet, self-custody, seed phrase, Ledger, Trezor, FTX collapse, not your keys not your coins, Bitcoin wallet, stacking sats, STACKED podcast, Emily Dempsey, Brickell Babes, Bitcoin basics, Bitcoin investing for women, personal finance podcast

Disclaimer:

The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.

Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset.

Today I sat down with Courtney Spritzer, Co-Founder of Entreprenista, a private membership community of more than 3,500 women entrepreneurs across the U.S., Canada, and beyond. Courtney didn't set out to build a community business — she studied economics at NYU, graduated in 2009 into one of the worst financial crises in a century, and spent two years underwriting insurance policies in rural Massachusetts.

A job at American Express in 2011 changed everything — she was in the room as major brands first figured out Facebook and Twitter, and realized social media could be a career. She and her business partner, Stephanie, built a social media agency, SocialFly, from nothing — nights and weekends, then a leap of faith, then their first $8,000 month. In 2018, almost as an experiment to learn a new platform for their agency clients, they started the Entreprenista Podcast. By 2020, it had grown into its own private community — one Courtney and Stephanie eventually spun off entirely, selling SocialFly to focus on what it became.

In this episode, Courtney breaks down the one rule that built her entire referral engine, how she balances monetizing a community with keeping it authentic, why the face of a brand doesn't have to be its founder, and why she's convinced every founder — herself included — needs to build AI-first from here on out.

This is the episode for anyone building something out of a group chat, a podcast, or a side project, and wondering if it could ever be the real business.

Promo Code: $500 off Entreprenista initiation dues with code BRICKELLBABES500 — reducing the fee from $1,497 to $997 when paid in full. Applicable to member's first year of Entreprenista dues. https://refer.entreprenista.com/bb

Key Topics Covered:

— Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs — clothing stores in the Bronx — and trying to do the opposite

— Studying economics at NYU and graduating into the 2009 financial crisis

— Hitting an $8,000 revenue goal in month one

— How SocialFly grew into a full-service digital, paid media, and influencer marketing agency

— Starting the Entreprenista Podcast in 2018 to learn a new platform for clients

— Balancing authenticity with monetizing a community

— Why 40% of new members join through referrals

— How AI agents saved a friend's business roughly $250,000 in three weeks

— Why Courtney would build an AI-first business if she started over today

— Lightning round

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome + Introducing Courtney Spritzer

03:45 – Growing Up in a Family of Entrepreneurs in the Bronx

05:26 – Meeting Business Partner Stephanie

06:01 – Building the Agency Nights & Weekends

06:50 – The Leap of Faith: Quitting Corporate for Good

07:01 – Hitting the $8,000 Revenue Goal in Month One

10:41 – Trading Social Media Services for Free Office Space

18:18 – Starting the Entreprenista Podcast in 2018

18:52 – Spinning Entreprenista Into Its Own Company During the Pandemic

21:05 – Selling SocialFly to Focus Fully on Entreprenista

29:03 – The Entreprenista to Entourage Ambassador Program

30:37 – Building a Personal Brand Without Oversharing

40:20 – Why Courtney Would Build Her Next Business AI-First

44:30 – Lightning Round

46:00 – Where to Find Courtney Spritzer & Entreprenista

Tags: Courtney Spritzer, Entreprenista, SocialFly, women entrepreneurs, women in business, community building, monetizing community, personal branding, AI for business, LinkedIn growth, Threads growth, referral marketing, membership community, STACKED podcast, Emily Dempsey, Brickell Babes, female founder podcast

Disclaimer: The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. It does not create any client, patient, or fiduciary relationship. Contents are for general informational purposes only — consult your own advisors regarding your specific situation.