Summary:

What if your stress isn't just a willpower problem, and it's really your nervous system stuck in overdrive? Ellyn Ito has spent 25+ years bringing new technology to market. When her 15-year-old son was struggling during the pandemic, she went looking for something that could help. His first session on a gentle neuromodulation device shifted things, and within months she had co-founded InnerStill to work toward bringing Mindvybe technology to everyone. Ellyn and Kimberly discuss how chronic stress has become "normal," how the vagus nerve moves us from fight-or-flight into rest-and-recover, and why calm spreads from person to person just like stress does. Ellyn also gets candid about building a startup in a brand-new category: educating a market used to taking a pill, raising mission-aligned capital, and quieting the inner voice that says you're not good enough.

In this episode:

• Neuromodulation and its impact on health
• The role of the vagus nerve in stress regulation
• How technology can help reconnect with oneself
• The development process of MindVibe and its benefits
• Challenges in bringing new health technology to market

Keywords:

neuroscience, neuromodulation, stress relief, nervous system, wellness technology, MindVibe, Ellen Ito, health innovation

Sound bites:

"Loosened stress in the neck and improved mood."

"Stress eclipses our higher cognitive functions."

"Vibing becomes a verb for wellness."

Chapters:

• 00:00 Introduction to Kimberly Griggs and the show's focus
• 83:09:05 Introducing Ellen Ito and her work in neuromodulation
• 219:15:49 The significance of the Edison Award for innovation
• 6194:16:00 Background and journey into the neuromodulation space
• 19305:24:00 What problem does Mindvybe solve?
• 359999:52:15 How electrical stimulation affects the brain and nervous system
• 609444:24:44 The importance of calming the nervous system for health
• 748333:19:01 Ellen’s secret sauce for perseverance and impact
• 901666:40:00 Lessons for entrepreneurs and innovators
• 928611:06:40 Closing thoughts and where to learn more about Mindvybe

Takeaways

• Neuromodulation can significantly reduce stress and improve mental clarity
• The Vagus nerve is a critical pathway for managing automatic body functions
• Funding is a major obstacle for health tech startups
• Technology that engages the nervous system passively can be a game-changer for mental health and wellness.

More About Mindvybe

https://www.mindvybe.com/

Connect with Ellyn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellynito/

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Summary:

If your customers can ask AI the same question you'd normally charge them for, what are they actually paying you for?

That's the question driving this month's "Middle of Mastery" conversation with business consultant Rory Sheppard. As AI gives customers direct access to the same research, plans, and answers service providers have always sold, Rory and Kimberly dig into what's still worth paying for — and it isn't the answer itself. It's the expertise to know if the answer's right, the judgment to challenge it, and the relationship a client trusts enough to act on.

Keywords

AI, Pricing, Value, Expertise, Agents, Automation, Leadership, Delegation, Consulting, Accountability, Strategy, Productivity

In This Episode:

• Why "having the answer" stopped being enough once AI could generate one too
• The shift from hourly billing to deliverable-based pricing
• Staying transparent about using AI without devaluing your expertise
• Managing AI agents instead of people
• What to automate first
• Why accountability for the output never transfers to the AI
• Rory's analog counter-practice

Sound bites

"I never trust the first answer."

"It's not a question of did you use AI? It's how did you use AI?"

"You're selling the relationship and trust between you and the person you're doing the work with."

Chapters

00:01 — Intro to "Middle of Mastery" with Rory Sheppard

01:24 — If Customers Can Use AI Too, What Are They Paying You For?

01:48 — How Legitimate Is the Fear About AI Replacing Services?

04:15 — Why a 40-Page AI Business Plan Still Isn't Enough

08:37 — Repositioning the Value of Your Expertise

08:57 — Price vs. Value: Why Deliverable-Based Pricing Is the Shift

12:03 — Should You Disclose How Much AI You Used?

13:20 — How Fast AI Models Are Improving in 2026

14:56 — From Doing the Work to Directing AI Agents

16:35 — What Skills Should Service Providers Build Now?

19:01 — Why You Still Have to Check Every Word AI Gives You

22:15 — Situational Leadership, Applied to AI Agents

24:25 — How to Actually Check an AI Agent's Work

27:53 — When Is a Business Ready to Fully Integrate AI Agents?

31:02 — Why Scaling AI Use Gets Messy Fast

32:30 — Start With Non-Value-Added Work: What to Automate First

35:06 — Why Rory Demands Citations for Every AI-Generated Fact

36:31 — How Do You Track Whether AI's Data Is Even Accurate?

39:18 — Better Prompting: What Actually Improves AI Output

43:59 — Why Talking to AI Might Beat Typing to It

45:34 — Debunking the Myth That Being Mean to AI Helps

48:16 — Three Things Every Service Business Should Evaluate Now

51:50 — The Coming Crisis: Entry-Level Workers Losing "Grunt Work" Training

54:27 — Why Rory's Actually Optimistic About AI and the Workforce

57:50 — Rory's Anchor Points Journal and Why He Still Uses Pen and Paper

01:02:12 — The Focal Practice: Finding What Fully Occupies Your Mind

Special offer! Receive 10% off Rory's Anchor Points Journal

when you mention "Unfinished Business"

Call Now! 806-557-2240

More on West Texas ActionCoach and Rory Sheppard

https://westtexas.actioncoach.com/firm/

Connect with Rory

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorysheppard/

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Summary:

Nearly 20 years ago, David Mitchell was working at West Texas A&M and doing landscaping on the side. What started with projects for friends and family eventually grew into Mitchell Landscaping, a full-service company serving the Texas Panhandle.

In this episode of Unfinished Business, David talks with Kimberly about growing from doing every job himself to leading a team, his passion for creating outdoor spaces where people gather and enjoy life, and why quality and lasting customer relationships remain at the heart of his business.

He also opens up about what growth looks like nearly two decades in—learning to delegate, developing his team, building better systems, and creating a business that doesn’t always depend on him.

It’s a conversation about building something you’re proud of, learning as you go, and realizing that even 20 years in, there’s still unfinished business.

Keywords

Landscaping, Business Growth, Outdoor Living, Texas, Entrepreneurship, Customer Satisfaction, Business Systems, Scaling a Business

Key Topics

Decision to go full-time with landscaping

Importance of quality and customer satisfaction

Scaling challenges and delegation

Designing outdoor living spaces as an extension of home

Trends in outdoor kitchens and fire pits

Training and systems for business growth

Lessons learned and advice for entrepreneurs

Sound bites

"Bought out part of a business to go full time"

"Success is a company that can run without me"

"Building relationships with customers is key"

Chapters

00:00 — Meet David Mitchell, Co-Founder of Mitchell Landscaping

00:57 — Who David Was Before Mitchell Landscaping Existed

02:23 — Was Entrepreneurship Always the Plan?

03:04 — The Moment David Decided to Go All In

04:26 — What Success Looked Like in Year One

05:06 — What Kept Him Going on the Hard Days

05:44 — What People Don't Realize About Starting a Service Business

06:31 — Setting Non-Negotiables Before Hiring Your First Employees

07:37 — What "Quality" Actually Means in Landscaping

09:53 — What Building a Business Teaches You About Staying Humble

11:01 — What People Get Wrong About What Landscaping Really Is

12:52 — The Backyard Project David Will Never Forget

14:58 — What the Design Process Looks Like for a New Customer

16:54 — The Backyard Trends Everyone's Asking About Right Now

18:28 — What a Backyard Transformation Actually Costs

19:05 — Financing Options for Bigger Backyard Projects

20:36 — Rapid Fire: Success, Investments, and a Few Fun Facts

24:54 — The Biggest Challenge of Wearing Every Hat in the Business

26:16 — Passing Knowledge Down to the Next Generation of Leaders

27:02 — Rating His Own Systems on a Scale of One to Ten

28:32 — What Success Means to David Right Now

30:06 — If He Could Change One Thing About the Business Tomorrow

30:58 — The Advice He'd Give His 2006 Self

32:09 — What's Still Unfinished for Mitchell Landscaping

32:44 — What He Hopes Customers Remember 20 Years From Now

34:48 — His Best Advice for Any Aspiring Entrepreneur

More about Mitchell Landscaping

Website - https://www.mitchelllandscaping.net/

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