Dreaming Big with Alexis Allen

Episode 12: Reducing the Mental Load by Revolutionizing Parenting with Joan Nguyen, Founder of Bumo AI

In this episode of Dreaming Big, Alexis sits down with Joan Nguyen who is a two-time successful founder who started her first company, MeriEducation, at 20 years old with $3,000 in savings and a job as a barista. She built it into an INC 5000 company before shifting her focus to solving the childcare crisis. After nearly 200 investor rejections, she raised $10 million for Bumo, and just launched Bennie, an AI Family Assistant that just debuted on Mother’s Day to free up the mental load that drowns working parents. In this episode, Joan talks about what it means to be customer obsessed at every stage of building, why she’s user number one for every product she creates, and how refusing to give up isn’t about delusion ,it’s about extreme hope paired with a rational belief in what you’re building. She shares the real cost of fundraising, the mistakes she’s made with hiring and marketing, and what success actually looks like when you’re building for busy parents trying to do it all. Find more at bumo.com.

Episode 11: Creating Real Food Snacks with Kristin O’Connor, Founder of Super Dirt Foods

Celebrity chef Kristin O'Connor sits down with Alexis to share what it's really like cooking for A-list actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Bradley Cooper and working on film sets for 12 hours straight. But the real story? She spent six years building Super Dirt Foods while working seven days a week. Kristin takes us inside her unconventional journey from art therapy to Food Network producer to private chef to founder, revealing how working for some of Hollywood's biggest names taught her about standards, excellence, and why patience might be your best competitive advantage. She shares the behind-the-scenes reality of CPG manufacturing, pitching Gwyneth Paltrow on Amazon Prime and what it actually takes to build something that lasts. If you're thinking about starting something, If you've ever thought you need to have everything figured out before you start, Kristin's story will change your mind.

Episode 10: Spring Cleaning & Building Circular Fashion with Rebecca Bahmani, Founder of PreLoveYou

In this episode of Dreaming Big, Alexis sits down with Rebecca Bahmani, founder of PreLoveYou, who spent 30 years in the fashion industry before learning the truth she’d been contributing to: 85% of donated clothes end up in landfills or incinerated, and there’s already enough clothing on the planet to dress the next six generations. Her turning point came while pregnant with her second child, when she realized how broken the system truly was. PreLoveYou was born as a credit-based circular fashion platform that teaches kids and parents alike, that clothes have value. Families send in outgrown clothes, earn credits, and shop sustainably, while kids learn firsthand how reuse works. From bootstrapping the business out of her barn to becoming B Corp certified and featured in Fast Company, Rebecca shares lessons on perseverance, ethical entrepreneurship, and how spring cleaning your kids’ closets can actually help change the world.

Episode 9: Building a Unicorn with Kamron Palizban, Co-Founder of Invisible Technologies

In this episode of Dreaming Big, Alexis sits down with Kamron Palizban, co-founder of Invisible Technologies and Ascendancy, who dropped out of college to pursue the ultimate learning opportunity - building a company from scratch. What started as six ambitious founders with a vision to eliminate coordination costs and make technology feel like magic quickly hit a wall, ran out of money, and forced a decision: walk away or fight through the dark days. Kamron and his co-founders chose to fight. The result? A unicorn company that's now helping train foundational AI models and powering operations for businesses people interact with every day. Kamron shares what it takes to demand the best from people while caring for them deeply, why success requires channeling all your energy toward a singular mission, and how his new venture Ascendancy is solving the ultimate human problem - helping founders connect with the right people at the right time. This is a masterclass in resilience, purpose-driven leadership, and building businesses that make us more human, not less.

Episode 8: Science Meets Scalability: Building Atmo Home with Founder, Margaret Trainor

In this episode of Dreaming Big, Alexis sits down with Margaret Trainor, founder of Atmo Home, who spent years evaluating startups at TechCrunch and working in venture capital before deciding to become a founder herself. What started as a European fashion rental concept pivoted completely when Margaret realized dry cleaning costs were eating her margins leading her to discover a gap in the home care market. Partnering with research chemists in Berlin, she fell in love with green chemistry and set out to create the cleanest candle in the world. But unlike the VC-backed playbook she knows so well, Margaret chose to build slowly, sustainably, and with strong financial fundamentals. From launching in Credo, Goop, and Revolve, Margaret shares why resilience defines early-stage success, why focusing on one hero product matters more than launching multiple SKUs, and how running a business is ultimately a personal growth experience that reveals your limiting beliefs. This is what happens when someone who's seen every startup mistake decides to build a company the right way.