In this episode, host Iris Goldfeder sits down with a dear friend and expert mindfulness coach, Diane Titterton. Diane dives into her new release, "Write Your Own Bloody Self-Help Book" and its companion journal. This isn't your standard self-help; it's empowered self-help designed for ambitious high achievers who know there is more out there for them. Iris and Diane discuss how to manage stress, get off autopilot, and stop outsourcing human creativity to AI.

00:00 - Introduction & Meet Diane Titterton

01:39 - Why Diane Wrote Her Own Self-Help Book

04:55 - Balancing Business Growth with Personal Freedom

06:38 - Empowered Self-Help vs. Traditional Self-Help

08:35 - Mindfulness, Autopilot, and the Negativity Bias

10:41 - Silencing the Inner Critic

14:23 - The Physical Cost of Holding in Emotion

18:39 - How to Start Journaling for Self-Discovery

23:09 - Why Men Need Mindfulness & Emotional Support

27:41 - Overcoming Trauma & Finding Your Life's Purpose

34:05 - Letting Go of Control & Managing Anger

40:28 - Why Journaling in Full Sentences Slows the Brain

49:03 - Diane's Journey into Entrepreneurship

54:22 - Intuition, "Woo-Woo", and Holding Space

59:56 - AI as a Tool vs. Losing Human Creativity

01:08:41 - Where to Find Diane & Final Thoughts

Is ADHD actually a business superpower? In this episode of The Cookbook, Iris Goldfeder and leadership expert Tricia Stover reveal why neurodivergent brains—specifically the "Visionary" archetype—are uniquely built for entrepreneurship.

If you struggle with the "hamster wheel" brain or visualizing business moves like The Queen’s Gambit, this conversation will change how you view your leadership style.

In this episode, we answer:

How do you align business values with contractors vs. employees?

Why should visionaries stop trying to be integrators?

When is the right time to fire a toxic client?

Does ADHD medication kill entrepreneurial creativity?

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Intro: Is ADHD a Business Asset?

01:31 - Leadership through a different lens

07:14 - Soul-based business & alignment

08:40 - The "Queen's Gambit" Strategy (Visionary vs. Integrator)

12:19 - Hiring contractors vs. employees

18:38 - CASE STUDY: Firing a toxic client

37:10 - The reality of Entrepreneurship

47:06 - Why Iris quit ADHD medication

53:50 - What Lights Your Fire?

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Tricia Stover is an expert in leadership alignment, helping entrepreneurs bridge the gap between vision and execution.

ABOUT THE SHOW:

The Cookbook with Iris Goldfeder peels back the layers of business to show you the real recipes for success. From tech founders to spiritual coaches, we discuss the wins, the missteps, and the lessons learned.

Guest: Tricia Stover - performance-masters.com

Host: Iris Goldfeder - gasstovecreative.com

#ADHDEntrepreneur #Leadership #smallbusiness

#TheCookbookPodcast #WomenFounders #BusinessStrategy #Neurodiversity #Visionary

In this episode of The Cookbook, host Iris Goldfeder sits down with Aya Kikimova, founder of Leap Engine, to uncover the "real recipes" behind building a profitable business. We move past the fluff to discuss what actually drives revenue: the marriage of SEO and Paid Ads.

From the evolution of the 1970s marketing funnel to the "miracle math" of combining organic search with paid traffic, Iris and Aya break down why you can’t just scream into the void—you need a flashlight. They also get real about the rapid changes AI is bringing to search (Answer Engine Optimization) and why a broken sales process will kill your ROI faster than bad marketing ever could.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Entrepreneurial Reality: Why 60% of people start businesses to escape corporate life, only to end up wearing every single hat.
• The New Marketing Funnel: Why it now takes 12–16 touchpoints to convert a customer (up from 8–10).
• SEO + Ads Strategy: Why Short Tail keywords are dangerous money-wasters, and why Long Tail keywords reveal true buyer intent.
• Google Business Profile Horror Stories: The increasing difficulty of getting verified and tips for service-based businesses.
• The AI Shift: Moving from Search Engine Optimization to Answer Engine Optimization—and why you need to act now.
• The User Experience Fail: Why paying for leads is useless if your phone system prevents customers from reaching a human.

Chapters:

(00:00) Intro & The "Dino Party" Planning (03:00) Escaping Corporate: The transition to Entrepreneurship (11:53) The Psychology of Buying: How the Funnel has changed (19:00) The "Miracle Math": Why you need both SEO and Ads (23:00) Horror Stories: Navigating Google Business Profile suspensions (30:58) "Research is the Flashlight": Building a winning Ad Strategy (33:26) Short Tail vs. Long Tail Keywords explained (43:00) The Urgency of AI: Why you can't wait 6 months to start (51:45) Is it the leads, or is it your sales process? (58:25) The importance of human connection in business

Connect with Aya Kikimova:

• Website: leapengine.co
• LinkedIn: Search "Aya Kikimova"
• The GPS System: Ask Aya about her 15-minute diagnostic to see if your business numbers are ready for ads.

Connect with Iris Goldfeder:

• Host of: The Cookbook
• Website: GasStoveCreative.com

Loved this episode? If you enjoyed this conversation, please rate, review, and follow the show! It helps us move up the ranks and bring you more real recipes for success.