In this episode, host Nicole Butts sits down with Lyla Bashan, diplomat, author, and founder of Bashan Impact Solutions, for a deeply honest conversation about what happens when the life you built disappears overnight. After nearly two decades of distinguished service with the State Department and USAID, Lyla found herself navigating sudden, unexpected loss with the abolishment of USAID.

Rather than rushing back to the safety of another institution, Lyla chose to bet on herself. This episode traces her journey from a tropical island in Thailand where she first heard the news, to the shores of Hawaii where she is now planting roots and building something entirely her own. What emerges is a masterclass in trusting your instincts, iterating in public, and learning that you cannot be brave without being scared.

Find more about Lyla and Bashan Impact Solutions on her LinkedIn and Website.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lylabashan/

Website: http://www.bashanimpacts.com/

Lyla’s book “Global: An Extraordinary Guide for Ordinary Heroes” is available for purchase on RedPress Publishing or on Amazon.

• Instagram: @TMBBIPodcast
• Host: Nicole Butts

Know someone who is brave, and courageous? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything? Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show! Doing a pop-up in the DMV and like to have your makers discuss their journeys of bravery on the This May be a Bad Idea podcast reach out to @TMBBIPodcast and let me know!

Music By: Bryan Freeman

• Instagram: @scheeminfreeman
• TikTok: @bsharpfreeman

In this episode of 'This May Be a Bad Idea', host Nicole Butts speaks with Gwen Andersen, co-founder of A Energy Company, about the transformative power of electricity in Africa and its impact on communities. Gwen shares her journey in international development, the importance of building a strong team, and the challenges of letting go of control as a leader. They discuss the significance of empowering women through access to electricity and the multiplier effect of community change. The conversation also touches on personal moments of doubt, the definition of bravery, and the motivation to continue making a difference in the world.

Find more about Gwen and the A-Energy Company on her LinkedIn and Website.

LinkedIn: The A Energy Company: Overview | LinkedIn

Website: The A Energy Company

• Instagram: @TMBBIPodcast
• Host: Nicole Butts

MADabolic Gym: Ready to join an amazing community and try something new? Anytime in the month of April, visit https://form.typeform.com/to/LvRUZhLG show an active gym membership at a local gym and get 4 free weeks of unlimited classes! Tell them you heard about it on the This May be a Bad Idea Podcast! New clients only.

Know someone who is brave, and courageous? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything? Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show! Doing a pop-up in the DMV and like to have your makers discuss their journeys of bravery on the This May be a Bad Idea podcast reach out to @TMBBIPodcast and let me know!

Music By: Bryan Freeman

• Instagram: @scheeminfreeman
• TikTok: @bsharpfreeman

Editing by: Design by Vito

In this final bonus episode of the interviews recorded live at the Made By Her event, host Nicole sits down with Reina, a Filipino-American artist, creator, and community builder. Reina is the founder of Ateh Kuya Creatives, a collective she built to bring together Filipino creatives across the DMV area.

Reina opens up about growing up as a shy child who followed her creative dreams, and what it means to stop second-guessing yourself and just go for it. Her story is a testament to the power of showing up, for yourself, your community, and the people who are waiting for someone to build the space they've needed all along.

• Instagram: @atehkuya.creatives
• Website: www.atehkuyacreatives.org

If these stories of bravery resonate with you, here's how you can support the show:

• Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
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• Follow us on Instagram: @TMBBIPodcast

Know someone who is brave, and courageous? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything? Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show! Doing a pop-up in the DMV and like to have your makers discuss their journeys of bravery on the This May be a Bad Idea podcast reach out to @TMBBIPodcast and let me know!

Music By: Bryan Freeman

• Instagram: @scheeminfreeman
• TikTok: @bsharpfreeman

Host Nicole Butts talks with former USAID colleague Erikka Cullum about leaving the U.S. for Albania after USAID’s shutdown created career uncertainty. Erikka shares navigating ambiguity and income uncertainty through fractional project work and leaning on curiosity, faith, and self-trust. She also explains why she self-published a relocation guide built from her TikTok, research, and planning tools, emphasizing that moving abroad isn’t permanent and doesn’t require others’ validation.

Link to Erikka's Book, "The Soft Exit: From Overwhelmed to Overseas - A Practical Guide to Starting Over Abroad" which can be found on Amazon: https://a.co/d/06v0GJqm

MADabolic Gym: Ready to join an amazing community and try something new? Anytime in the month of April, visit https://form.typeform.com/to/LvRUZhLG show an active gym membership at a local gym and get 4 free weeks of unlimited classes! Tell them you heard about it on the This May be a Bad Idea Podcast! New clients only.

Know someone who is brave, and courageous? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything? Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show! Doing a pop-up in the DMV and like to have your makers discuss their journeys of bravery on the This May be a Bad Idea podcast reach out on Instagram to @TMBBIPodcast and let me know!

Music By: Bryan Freeman

• Instagram: @scheeminfreeman
• TikTok: @bsharpfreeman

Editing By: Design by Vito

In this live bonus episode recorded at the Made By Her event, host Nicole Butts sits down with Victoria, the founder of Twelve Twenty Coffee a mobile coffee shop serving the DMV area. Victoria shares her 15+ year journey from barista to coffee shop owner, including the painful lessons of her brick-and-mortar location, and how she found her true calling as a mobile coffee experience. She opens up about living with Type 1 diabetes and chronic illness complications, the physical toll each event takes on her body, and why giving up has simply never felt like an option. Her story is one of relentless grit, community-building, and defining success on your own terms even when that means trading a storefront for a trailer.

• Instagram: @twelve_twenty_coffee
• Website: www.twelvetwentycoffee.com

• Instagram: @TMBBIPodcast
• Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Know someone who is brave, and courageous? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything? Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show! Doing a pop-up in the DMV and like to have your makers discuss their journeys of bravery on the This May be a Bad Idea podcast reach out to @TMBBIPodcast and let me know!

Music By: Bryan Freeman

• Instagram: @scheeminfreeman
• TikTok: @bsharpfreeman

In this live bonus episode, recorded at the Made By Her event, Nicole sits down with Natalie, founder of Paper Crane + Lotus, a handmade semi-fine jewelry business that started not with a business plan, but with a leukemia diagnosis, art therapy, and a mom who bought her daughter her first set of tools.

Natalie opens up about the anxiety of pricing her work, the fear that nobody will buy something she made with her own hands, and the moments, a mom and daughter buying matching necklaces, two best friends choosing rings, that remind her exactly why she keeps going. She also shares her dream: a community maker space with a coffee shop attached, where abundance is shared and other creators are lifted up.

This one is for anyone who has ever undercharged because they were scared, over-explained their worth because they doubted it, or wondered whether their passion was practical enough. Natalie's answer: worth it.

• Instagram: @papercrane.lotus
• Website: www.papercraneandlotus.com

• Instagram: @TMBBIPodcast
• Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Know someone who is brave, and courageous? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything? Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show! Doing a pop-up in the DMV and like to have your makers discuss their journeys of bravery on the This May be a Bad Idea podcast reach out to @TMBBIPodcast and let me know!

Music By: Bryan Freeman

• Instagram: @scheeminfreeman
• TikTok: @bsharpfreeman

In this bonus episode of This May be a Bad Idea, recorded live at the Made By Her event, Nicole sits down with Keena, the founder of Forever Blooming — a floral design business rooted in artistry, resilience, and the belief that we are always growing. Keena is a 21-year veteran educator, currently teaching 8th grade English, who launched her business during COVID and has been blooming ever since. Her story is one of quiet courage: showing up every day with full-time dedication to both her students and her craft, refusing to see obstacles as reasons to quit, and leaning into the idea that every season of life holds something new to offer.

• Instagram: @nomanualmom
• Website: nomanualbloom.squarespace.com
• Personal IG: @kdaymyway423

• Instagram: @TMBBIPodcast
• Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Know someone who is brave, courageous, and forever blooming? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything? Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show!

Music By: Bryan Freeman

If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs a reminder that they are always, forever blooming.

What does it look like to start a business in the middle of a pandemic, while caring for a dying parent, at age 22? For Marris, co-owner of Matelna Bakes, that impossible combination of circumstances became the unlikely origin story of a bakery born from love, necessity, and loss.

In this bonus episode of This May Be a Bad Idea, Nicole sits down with Marris at the Made by Her event for a raw and tender conversation about what real bravery looks like when life forces your hand. From Instagram orders in 2020 to a recently purchased food trailer, Marris shares the winding, hard-won path of entrepreneurship — the grief that nearly derailed everything, the comparison trap of social media, and the quiet courage it took to walk back into the kitchen after losing her father and biggest supporter.

• Website: matelnabakes.com
• Instagram / Facebook: @MatelnaBakes

• Instagram: @TMBBIPodcast
• Host: Nicole Butts

Know someone who is brave and courageous? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything? Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show!

Music By: Bryan Freeman