Podcast Summary

Second in Command: The Chief Behind the Chief with Cameron Herold

Episode 541: Brand Built COO Meghan Donnelly — How Automation Unlocks Freedom & Calm Now
Date: January 2, 2026
Host: Savannah Brewer (for Cameron Herold)
Guest: Meghan Donnelly, COO of Brand Built

Main Theme

This episode delves into how automation, systems, and authentic operational leadership can unlock both business success and personal freedom. Meghan Donnelly shares her unconventional path from neurodivergent coder to COO, building high-impact, lean teams, and turning ADHD into an OPS superpower. The show is packed with tactical insights for founders and operators seeking to scale with sanity, using automation, clean data, and modern tools—plus frank discussions on lifestyle optimization, neurodiversity, and what actually makes operations work.

Episode Highlights & Timeline

1. Meghan’s Background and Journey into Operations (03:37–19:14)

• Diagnosed with ADHD at 16; faced academic and social challenges and discovered early on that traditional career molds didn’t fit.
  • Quote: “I move a thousand miles an hour, which...could be bad or good in corporate. For me, it ended up bad because I was working 75 hour weeks.” (08:32)
• Became a mom at 19, then pivoted into coding, website building, and eventually digital operations.
• Learned under a mentor, contracted with major tech brands, built startup experience, and “burned out” in an old-school corporate environment.
• Found fulfillment in entrepreneurship with Digital Unicorns, and later, as COO of Brand Built—a curated peer community for founders focused on linking LinkedIn branding and scalable automation.

2. The Power of Automation in Small, Lean Teams (26:40–29:26)

• Brand Built runs with a five-person team and 80–90% automation on internal processes.
  • Quote: “Everything is about 90% automated behind the scenes. ... It’s automate, delegate, eliminate—those are the three things.” (26:48)
• Prioritization structure: Revenue-generating → Repeatable → Automate or Delegate → Eliminate if it doesn’t add value.
• Only three overarching business goals: revenue, operations, lifestyle.
• Donnelly’s barometer: “If you can’t measure the success of the thing that you’re working on, stop working on it. Why the heck are you?” (00:00, 26:59)

3. Lifestyle by Design for Operators and Founders (30:37–34:28)

• Discussion on re-aligning work-life with energy, health, and fulfillment—especially from a neurodivergent lens.
• Flexible culture: “Work when you want to work. As long as we’re getting everything done on time and meeting client expectations, I don’t care where you work.” (33:17)
• The role of ADHD as a “superpower” for systems-minded leaders. Donnelly avoided medication, relying instead on structure, automation, and support systems.
  • Quote: “The technology and systems and processes...came into play with my life because I needed that structure.” (32:12)

4. Navigating ADHD & Neurodiversity in Leadership (36:02–43:47)

• Advice for those discovering or resisting ADHD/neurodiversity labels:
  • Build a strong support system.
  • Embrace hyperactivity and “hyper-focus”—lean into what obsesses you.
  • Be transparent with your team about how you work.
  • Use physical anchors (doodling, movement) to aid focus.
  • Reframing ADHD: “Lean into it. That’s not a bad thing.” (38:31)

5. Most Common Operational Bottlenecks (43:47–52:15)

• Onboarding: The #1 issue that “makes or breaks” businesses, but often ignored.
  • Quote: “Most onboarding experiences are awful... You don’t want buyers. You want a customer—a brand loyalist.” (44:01)
• Solutions: Direct feedback from customers and frontline staff, regular process reviews, automate onboarding where possible.
• Quality Control and SOPs: Avoid knowledge “living in someone’s head.” Systemize for consistency and scale.

6. Building SOPs and Using AI for Operations (52:48–55:21)

• Use Loom and Loom AI to create instant, step-by-step SOPs from recorded screen-shares.
  • Quote: “Loom AI now will create the SOP for you.” (53:14)
• Emphasis on leveraging AI as an enhancement tool for the team—not a replacement.

7. Essential Tools & Automation Tech Stack (55:21–57:19)

• Slack as a central information and operations hub:
  • Slack AI for weekly summaries and automated workflows.
  • All project management moving into Slack.
  • Tip: “If you have more than three pieces of software running your business, that’s bad. You’re spending more time managing software than you are actually running your business.” (56:39)
• Minimize tools to maximize focus and cut out busywork.

8. Personal and Professional Vision (57:26–63:26)

• Donnelly’s current lifestyle goal: Retire her husband, gain the freedom to travel as a family.
• “If you’re working on something and the business is running you instead of you running the business, that’s a huge problem.” (57:40)
• Goals should tie to tangible, motivating lifestyle outcomes, not just revenue or KPI targets.
  • Quote: “When you set goals...they need to be lifestyle goals—tangible lifestyle goals.” (58:04)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Automate, delegate, eliminate—those are the three things.” (26:48, Meghan Donnelly)
• “If you can’t measure the success of the thing...stop working on it.” (00:00, 26:59, Meghan Donnelly)
• “Onboarding is probably the biggest pain point that will make or break a business... You don’t want buyers, you want a customer—a brand loyalist.” (44:01, Meghan Donnelly)
• “The technology and systems and processes...came into play with my life because I needed that structure.” (32:12, Meghan Donnelly)
• “Work when you want to work. ... As long as we are getting everything done on time and we’re meeting our clients expectations and going above and beyond, I don’t care where you work.” (33:17, Meghan Donnelly)
• “If you have more than three pieces of software running your business, that’s bad.” (56:39, Meghan Donnelly)
• “Your hyper-focus will change, right? So lean into it. ... It’s the thing that you should lean into.” (40:12, Meghan Donnelly)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------------|------------| | Meghan’s background & career arc | 03:37–19:14| | Building Brand Built & joining as COO | 16:15–22:12| | Automation philosophy & team structure | 26:40–29:26| | Lifestyle design & flexibility | 30:37–34:28| | ADHD as an entrepreneurial superpower | 32:12 | | Common operational bottlenecks (onboarding, etc.) | 43:47–52:15| | SOP creation with Loom & AI | 52:48–55:21| | Tools: Slack, tech stack, minimizing bloat | 55:21–57:19| | Personal lifestyle vision & goal setting | 57:26–63:26| | Where to contact Meghan, resources | 63:26–65:13|

Recommended Tools & Tactics from Meghan

• Loom AI: Record tasks, generate video & written SOPs instantly.
• Slack: Use as a project management and communications hub, leveraging AI for summaries and task management.
• Minimize Software: Three core tools or less for true focus; avoid “bloatware” and excess manual work.
• Automate Everything Repeatable: If you do it 2–3 times, automate it; then delegate or eliminate non-essential work.
• Weekly/Automated Summaries: Stay on top of progress and eliminate the need for lengthy meetings.

How to Reach Meghan Donnelly

• LinkedIn: Meghan Donnelly (“Megan with an H”)
• Email: meghan@meghandonnelly.com
• Podcast: The Queen of Automation
• Website: meghandonnelly.com
• Community: Join Brand Built
• Mini-Series: "Chronically Automated" (Thursdays)

Final Takeaways

• Automate ruthlessly—it’s the path to freedom and higher performance.
• Onboarding & quality control are the silent killers (or accelerators) in both small and large companies.
• Lifestyle design is as important as business design—tie operational goals to concrete personal outcomes.
• Leverage neurodiversity as a true strength; create systems that support, not suppress, different brains.
• Invest in tools that multiply your output but don’t fall into the “shiny objects” trap.

This episode is essential for COOs, founders, and anyone looking to scale while protecting sanity, embracing neurodiversity, and building a business—and life—they actually want.