Most entrepreneurs hit a ceiling… and don’t know why.

In this episode of Do The Thing, Stacey Lauren sits down with entrepreneur and author Julia Carlson to break down the real reason businesses stall, and how to fix it.

Julia built her first company at 23 and now leads a multi-entity financial business. But her biggest breakthrough didn’t come from working harder…

It came from learning how to fire herself.

In this conversation, they cover:

- Why founders become the bottleneck in their own business
- The “Hustle Audit” that reveals what’s draining your time and energy
- How to let go of control without sacrificing quality
- The difference between being in control vs in charge
- The mindset shift from income → impact
- And how Julia’s mission is helping generate $1 billion for good

Plus, the personal moment that changed everything—and forced her to lead differently.

If you’re building a business, feeling stretched, or stuck at your next level… this is the episode you need.

00:00 – Intro + Julia’s mission
04:20 – Starting a business at 23
08:30 – The moment everything changed (daughter accident)
14:10 – Why founders become the bottleneck
18:45 – The “Hustle Audit” explained
25:30 – Letting go of control vs being in charge
32:00 – Identity + separating yourself from your business
39:15 – Building a billion dollars for good
46:20 – What holds most entrepreneurs back
52:00 – Julia’s #1 advice

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