Hannah Soto didn’t set out to build a production company. She saw problems in her industry. People below a certain title were treated poorly. Productions were inefficient. Systems were messy. So she did what many capable, quietly ambitious freelancers do: She fixed what was broken.
That decision eventually became Aridia, a production company that worked with major clients like Apple, Coca-Cola, and the Olympics.
Not bad for an accidental business.
But this episode is not a shiny “look how big the business got” story. That would be too easy. Also, a little boring. This conversation is about what happens when the business you built starts asking for a version of you that you no longer want to be.
Hannah and Austin talk about growth, identity, client approval, excellence versus perfection, and the cost of staying in a business model simply because it still works on paper.
Hannah shares how one difficult international production exposed how much of her worth was tied to client approval. She had done everything she could to fix the situation. She spent money, energy, time, and health trying to make the client happy again. And then she realized something brutal and freeing: She didn’t even want to work with that client again.
That moment became part of a much bigger shift. Hannah began untangling her value from her work, rethinking what success actually meant, and eventually moving more deeply into coaching.
This episode is for the freelancer, consultant, or creative entrepreneur who has built something real but feels the tension of an old model getting too tight around the shoulders. Like a business blazer from 2017. Technically still wearable. Spiritually suspicious.
Key Points
- Accidental entrepreneurship: Hannah started by solving obvious problems in production, especially around how people were treated and how systems were run.
- Brand name versus personal name: Hannah explains why choosing a company name gave the business room to grow beyond her, while still allowing her personal brand to build trust.
- Excellence is not perfection: Growing up with a strong family mantra around excellence shaped Hannah’s drive, but also created pressure she later had to untangle.
- When client approval becomes a trap: Hannah shares the painful story of a project where she gave everything to win back a client’s approval and still couldn’t get it.
- Not every client deserves access: Austin and Hannah discuss the difference between generous, honest clients and clients who take advantage of vulnerability.
- The cost of staying: Hannah’s key question — “What is it costing me to stay?” — becomes a powerful filter for any freelancer considering a pivot.
- Momentum is not alignment: Just because a business is moving does not mean it is moving in the right direction.
- Work beside life, not above it: Hannah describes the difference between building life around work and letting work sit beside health, marriage, friendships, and purpose.
- You may never feel ready: For freelancers who want to pivot, Hannah suggests clarifying the bare minimum needed, knowing the vision, and accepting that readiness may never arrive with a little gift basket.
- Being before doing: In her coaching work, Hannah helps entrepreneurs explore who they need to become, not just what they need to achieve.
Notable Quotes
“I don’t know yet is a really powerful answer.”
“Fear is going to keep us smaller.”
“What is it costing me to stay?”
“My work sits beside my life. It is not connected to my value or my worth.”
“A company is a reflection of the founder.”
"At some point, we just need to decide, I want what is on the other side of this discomfort more than I want comfort. And so what am I willing to embrace for sake of that vision?"
“There will always be an excuse if you look for it. So just start.”
Resources Mentioned
