Nadya Okamoto: Why Every Founder Needs to Become A Content Creator l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 48

In this episode, we sit down with Nadya Okamoto, serial entrepreneur and creator who founded PERIOD at 16, went on to build period care brand August, and is now Co-Founder and CMO of social app Pie.

We discuss why every founder should become a creator, how building an audience can become a competitive advantage, why posting more can outperform perfect content, the unglamorous reality of building a startup, and why the next generation of companies will need to compete for attention.

If you're interested in entrepreneurship, startups, content creation, social media, marketing, personal branding, or understanding how attention can become a business advantage, this episode is for you.

This episode is supported by Sydecar, HEX, Wispr Flow, Granola, Beehiiv, Kalshi

Sydecar: https://sydecar.io/partners/trailblazers

beehiiv: www.beehiiv.com/splash?utm_campaign=trailblazers-2026-Partnership&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=trailblazers&utm_term=podcast-12&stripe_campaign_code=TRAILBLAZERS30 (or use code “trailblazers30” for 30% OFF)

Granola: http://granola.ai/trailblazers

*Granola is the official notetaker of Trailblazers! Check out the episode show notes here: https://notes.granola.ai/t/744dba26-26b1-4095-aee4-3d54531745fb-008umkv4

Kalshi: http://Kalshi.com/r/trailblazers

Wispr Flow: https://ref.wisprflow.ai/trailblazers

HEX: http://hex.ai/trailblazers

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Trailblazers is your favorite tech + VC podcast, hosted by Erica Wenger (GP at Park Rangers Capital). Each week we sit down with founders, operators, and investors who’ve found conventional success in unconventional ways. New episodes every Tuesday.

Enjoy!

Timestamps:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 01:11 - When Your Personal Life Becomes Content
• 03:29 - Why Nadya Posts So Much Content
• 06:35 - How Social Media Algorithms Have Changed
• 08:30 - The Cost of Building in Public
• 10:33 - Founder vs. Content Creator
• 13:56 - What Is a Social Entrepreneur?
• 18:58 - Building Pie With Andy Dunn
• 21:27 - The Myth of the “Celebrity CEO”
• 23:48 - Why Traditional Marketing Is Too Slow
• 26:06 - How Nadya Is Everywhere Online
• 33:52 - Mental Health in Entrepreneurship
• 36:58 - Building and Scaling August
• 38:00 - Turning a Running Club Into a Business
• 41:21 - Trailblazer Trade-Offs