Episode 115: The Self-Talk That's Costing You Clients — How to Manage the Mental Game of Independent Consulting

Season #2

The biggest thing standing between you and a full consulting pipeline might not be your marketing — it might be the voice in your head saying "who do you think you are?"

About This Episode

In this episode, AJ Riedel talks with Lindsey Simmons, founder of LindaInHR, a fractional recruiting and HR consulting practice serving B2B SaaS, AI, and tech companies. What sets Lindsey apart: she built a referral-only consulting business that has never had an empty pipeline — and she did it while simultaneously launching a second business, Touch Grass, a fly fishing retreat for women leaders in tech.

Why You Should Listen to This Episode

If you've ever asked yourself "who am I to do this?" — Lindsey's story is for you. She went from a 2024 layoff to running two growing businesses in under three years, not because she had everything figured out, but because she learned to manage the self-talk that tries to convince every independent consultant that they're not ready yet. She talks candidly about the permission crisis that hits when you go out on your own, why she stopped being afraid of niching down, how she built a referral pipeline that's never run dry, and what it looks like to launch a second revenue stream from a passion while your core business is still growing. This is a real conversation about what it actually takes — not the polished version.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

  • Managing the "Who Am I to Do This?" Mental Battle — Lindsey breaks down the permission crisis that hits almost every new independent consultant and shares the practical self-talk strategies she used to push through it and keep building.
  • Why "Done Beats Perfect" Is the Only Way to Launch — From a rough first website to saying yes to clients outside her experience, Lindsey's first year was built on momentum over readiness — and she's ahead of where she thought she'd be.
  • How to Build a Second Revenue Stream Without Losing Focus — Lindsey turned a fly fishing passion and an existing network into Touch Grass, a retreat business for women leaders in tech — without abandoning her core consulting practice.

Key Moments — Listen for These

Note: timestamps are estimated from the recording and should be verified before publishing.

0:00 — Introduction: From Layoff to Self-Employment — Lindsey describes what it felt like to be laid off at the end of 2024 and the 6-month period of reflection that followed before she launched her business.

3:30 — Building the Plane While Flying It — The uncertainty of figuring out process, niche, and ideal client in real time, and why she said yes to clients outside her comfort zone.

9:45 — The Referral Pipeline That Never Ran Dry — How every client Lindsey has landed came through a referral, and how she built a network of trusted partners to handle overflow.

12:10 — The Permission Crisis: "Who Am I to Do This?" — Lindsey describes the internal identity shift of going from company title and corporate identity to building her own shingle from scratch.

14:50 — How Outdoor Learning Rewired Her Self-Talk — The surprising connection between learning to fly fish, shoot clays, and field hunt and developing the mental focus and presence needed to run a consulting business.

16:20 — Building Touch Grass: Turning a Passion Into a Second Revenue Stream — How a fly fishing trip in Montana became the idea for a retreat business for women leaders in tech, and what the launch has looked like.

24:55 — Two and a Half Years In: Ahead or Behind? — Where Lindsey sees herself relative to where she expected to be, and what's next for both sides of her business.

Key Takeaways

  • The hardest part of going independent isn't the work. It's the permission crisis — the "who am I to hang out my shingle?" moment that hits almost everyone. The path through it is redirecting your self-talk, not waiting to feel more qualified.
  • Done beats perfect. Lindsey launched before she had a polished process, a clear niche, or a perfect website — and she's ahead of where she thought she'd be. Momentum is the strategy.
  • When you can't take on more work, don't just say no. Build a small network of trusted referral partners you can hand off to with confidence — it protects relationships and keeps the pipeline healthy.

About Lindsey Simmons

Lindsey Simmons is the founder of LindaInHR, a fractional recruiting and HR consulting practice serving B2B SaaS, AI, and tech companies. With nearly two decades of experience in talent acquisition and HR, she specializes in helping leaders build thoughtful hiring processes and recruit exceptional technical, product, and go-to-market talent. She is also the co-founder of Touch Grass, a fly fishing retreat for women leaders in tech, launching its first retreat in July 2025.

Website: lindainhr.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-simmons-lindainhr/