E115 How to Manage the Mental Game of Independent Consulting | Lindsey Simmons

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. 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. 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. Website: lindainhr.com LinkedIn:   / lindsey-simmons-lindainhr   Connect with AJ If this episode helped you think differently about your consulting business, leave a review. It'll take less than a minute and it'll help other independent consultants find the show. Take the free Consultants Marketing Scorecard at ajriedel.com/podcast — less than 10 minutes, and you'll get three scores showing you exactly where your marketing is strong, where it's weak, and what to fix first.