Learn, Apply, Repeat

Finding Your Voice When the Road Isn’t Straight: Ralitsa Minkova

Ever wonder how living abroad changes the way you see yourself? I sat down with Ralitsa, an email strategist and conversion copywriter who's lived in more countries than most people visit in a lifetime. What started as a chat about her work turned into something deeper: a conversation about identity, belonging, and how constantly moving shapes who you become. Ralitsa is half-Bulgarian, half-Russian, grew up in Greece, and now lives in Denmark. She doesn't have a simple answer when people ask "where are you from?" And honestly, that's the whole point. We talked about what it's like when your passport doesn't match the language you think in. When "home" is a complicated question. When you go back to visit and realize you don't quite fit anymore. That constant navigation between cultures? It shows up in her work. She connects dots other people miss. She sees gaps where others see walls. And she writes emails that actually feel human, probably because she's spent her whole life translating between worlds. We also got into the messier parts of her journey. Health setbacks that derailed plans. Academic pivots that seemed random at the time but make sense now. A career path that zigzagged through design, linguistics, and architecture before landing on copywriting. None of it was linear. But that's kind of the theme here: the detours taught her more than any straight path could have. One thing we kept circling back to was depth versus speed. Can you really connect with someone in 15 minutes? Are we losing something important in our rush to be efficient? Both of us feel like there's this cultural obsession with quick wins and optimized everything, and it's leaving people feeling lonely. We miss longer, slower conversations. The kind that don't fit into a TikTok or a 20-minute calendar slot. We talked about failure too. Ralitsa shared how burnout forced her to rebuild from scratch, and how that breakdown became the opening she didn't know she needed. I shared my version of that story. We compared notes on what it's like to start over in a new country where everyone already has their friend groups. On what it feels like to realize you've outgrown the place you came from. This episode moves around a lot. We go from email strategy to cultural identity to loneliness to creativity. But that's what made it good. It's not a tips-and-tactics episode. It's about the emotional stuff underneath the work. The parts we don't usually talk about but that shape everything we do. If you've ever felt like you don't quite belong, or if your path hasn't been straight and you're wondering if that's okay, this conversation might resonate. Enjoy! Get full access to Learn, Apply, Repeat at www.learnapplyrepeat.com/subscribe [https://www.learnapplyrepeat.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

How to Use AI to Think Bigger, Not Just Work Faster

We’ve all heard the hype: AI will save you time, boost productivity, and help you get more done. But that’s only scratching the surface. In this episode, Pedro Ruiz and I talk about AI as something bigger, a tool for exploration, creativity, and human connection. Instead of chasing quick wins, we look at what happens when you approach AI with a sense of play. What if you asked it about something you know nothing about? What if you used it to test an idea you’ve never dared to try? You’ll hear stories of everyday experiments, from writing poems to solving real-world problems, and why these “small wins” often open the door to bigger breakthroughs. We also break down one of the most common points of confusion: the difference between automation and AI. Automation follows rules you set in advance. AI can adapt and respond to new information. Both are powerful, but knowing when to use each is the real game-changer. Along the way, we talk about why curiosity is becoming one of the most valuable skills you can have, not just for work, but for life. We explore how upbringing, access to resources, and even cultural attitudes shape our relationship to technology. And we discuss the importance of keeping a human perspective in the loop, questioning the answers AI gives you instead of taking them at face value. By the end, you’ll see AI in a different light, not as a cold, technical system, but as a creative partner that can help you think bigger, learn faster, and see possibilities you might have missed. If you’ve been stuck in “productivity mode” with AI, this episode will help you break out of it and start exploring what’s truly possible. Get full access to Learn, Apply, Repeat at www.learnapplyrepeat.com/subscribe [https://www.learnapplyrepeat.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Startups Aren’t Sexy: What No One Tells You About Building a Business

In this eye-opening episode, I sit down with Gavin Nicol, a seasoned technologist and entrepreneur whose fingerprints are all over the early internet standards we still use today. With over three decades of startup experience under his belt, Gavin doesn’t just know what it takes to build and scale a business, he knows what it costs. We start by digging into the hard truths about the startup journey. The excitement of going from 10 customers to 100 sounds thrilling on paper, but Gavin walks us through why that leap often breaks companies. He dismantles the romanticism of startup culture and puts the spotlight on the unglamorous, exhausting, but necessary grind that underpins real growth. If you’ve ever thought about quitting your 9-to-5 or taking your side hustle full-time, Gavin offers perspective that’s both sobering and empowering. He breaks down the three kinds of people in the workforce, career employees, startup joiners, and entrepreneurs, and challenges listeners to figure out which one they really are. His advice? Try a small company once. You might never go back to corporate life again. But this isn’t just a motivational pep talk. Gavin brings nuance to the conversation, exploring what it truly means to build something from the ground up. He draws attention to the growing trend of “boring” businesses, laundromats, plumbing services, small logistics companies, that are quietly changing hands as older owners retire. These businesses aren’t flashy, but they’re profitable. And unlike raising venture capital for a flashy tech play, they’re often self-sustaining. We also get into the topic of education and whether a university degree is still necessary in today’s economy. Gavin makes a case for alternative paths and shares his own unconventional route through Japan’s tech scene, startups, and angel investing. His message is clear: you don’t need permission or a degree to build something valuable. From there, we dive into the investor mindset. Gavin unpacks what he looks for as an angel investor and why so many founders, especially in the tech space, fail before they even begin. It’s not about having a groundbreaking idea. It’s about having a clear plan, the grit to see it through, and the self-awareness to know when you’re not cut out for it. We also cover: * The worst mistake most first-time founders make when raising VC money * Why many startup ideas that use AI aren’t nearly as innovative as they seem * The hidden value in buying existing businesses instead of starting from scratch * How serving others can change the way you think about your own work * Why sales, customer support, and folding t-shirts all teach lessons worth learning This conversation doesn’t offer quick wins or viral success stories. Instead, it gives you a look behind the curtain at what real startup life is like, the stress, the strategy, and the soul-searching required to make it work. Gavin’s honest, no-nonsense take is something every aspiring founder or curious employee needs to hear. If you’re debating whether to leap into entrepreneurship, or you're just trying to figure out your next step, this episode might give you the clarity you've been looking for. Get full access to Learn, Apply, Repeat at www.learnapplyrepeat.com/subscribe [https://www.learnapplyrepeat.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Driving Into the Unknown: Carolyn Johnson on Writing, Self-Publishing, and the Courage to Begin

Carolyn Johnson didn’t start out as a writer. She was a teacher. A reader. Someone with a knitting machine she didn’t really use. And then she made a decision. In this episode, we talk about what it actually takes to write and self-publish a book, from ZERO! No contacts. No roadmap. Just the desire to start. Carolyn walks us through how she went from unfinished drafts and long summer breaks to releasing Adam and the Witch Queen and how the act of finishing that book made her revisit an older, messier manuscript with fresh eyes and sharper tools. She shares: * How she moved past the blank page and into a real writing routine * Why she decided to self-publish and what she learned along the way * The unexpected ways her readers and stories are now connecting * What she's doing next (and how one story plants the seed for another) This is a conversation about writing. But more than that, it's about fear, creative resistance, and the quiet discipline of showing up, even when you don't know where the road leads. Get full access to Learn, Apply, Repeat at www.learnapplyrepeat.com/subscribe [https://www.learnapplyrepeat.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Julio Arango: Design and AI

In this episode, I sit down with Julio Arango, a creative entrepreneur with a fascinating journey from a corporate career to building his own business. Julio shares his insights on the importance of adaptation, the courage it takes to leave a stable job, and the role of fear in driving success. We dive into how Julio leveraged AI to streamline his new venture and why consistency in branding can be more important than perfection. He also opens up about his unexpected experiences, like finding a hidden talent for public speaking through tour guiding and how these skills later translated into teaching AI workshops. Throughout our conversation, Julio offers a candid look at the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship, the sacrifices made along the way, and the invaluable lessons learned from his diverse career path. If you're curious about how to turn fear into fuel, or if you’re intrigued by the intersections of creativity, technology, and business, this episode is for you. Listen in to find out why sometimes, taking the plunge into the unknown is the best decision you can make. Get full access to Learn, Apply, Repeat at www.learnapplyrepeat.com/subscribe [https://www.learnapplyrepeat.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]