From side hustle at 15 to SaaS founder — Ryan Austin shares the raw entrepreneur story behind personal growth, success mindset, self improvement, and starting a business with nothing but grit.

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In this candid conversation, Ryan — Founder and CEO of Cognota, the world's first Learn Ops platform — tells the full, unfiltered story of what entrepreneurship actually looks like from the inside. The side hustles that became real businesses. The exits. The wrong partnerships. And the moment in Austin, Texas, when he slid down against a wall, went into something like a fetal position, and genuinely thought it was over. This is not a highlight reel. This is the real thing. 🔑 What you'll get from this conversation: → How Ryan turned a teenager's side hustle into real businesses with employees — before he could drive → Why his university campus store shut him down (and what he did next) → The wrong partnership that killed a business that could have been massive → How he became SVP by pitching the board a revenue stream they didn't know they needed → The $100K phone call that came the second he hit rock bottom → Why he says "businesses don't die unless you kill them" → What the SaaS apocalypse looks like from inside a company going fully AI-native → His advice for anyone in L&D or corporate training who is job searching right now → What he'd tell his younger self — including the childhood stuff he rarely shares Whether you're building a business from scratch, navigating a career pivot, working in learning and development, or sharpening your entrepreneur mindset — this one's for you.

MEET RYAN AUSTIN: Ryan Austin is a serial entrepreneur and thought leader in talent development with nearly 20 years of experience. As CEO of Cognota, the leading LearnOps platform, he's building a new software category focused on the operational effectiveness of corporate L&D, Talent, and HR teams. Cognota's patent-pending technology is trusted by global enterprises and recognized by Brandon Hall Group. Ryan is also host of the LearnOps Leadership Series and a contributor to Forbes Business Council, ATD, and Training Journal.

CONNECT WITH RYAN:

IG: @ryanwhyyy

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanaustin3

Meet your host, Candice Mitchell

Candice Mitchell is a Talent Development Strategist, CEO of Talent Collective, and USA Today bestselling author of Choose You: For the People Who Refuse to Disappear. With nearly two decades of experience building and leading capability functions inside global and Fortune 500 organizations, she founded Talent Collective, a premium capability-building firm for L&D, HR, Change, and People leaders in high-growth companies.

Your host, Candice Mitchell, can be found online at:

Website: https://talentcollective.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candicemitchelltc/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candice_mitchell_msc/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@candice_mitchell_msc

Talent Development Academy: https://courses.talentcollective.org/bundles/talent-development-academy

Choose You book: https://chooseyoubook.com/

Original music composed by: Paul DeHaven

pauldehavenmusic.com