"I Didn't Know Who I Was Anymore" | How One Mom Built a Business with an Empty Nest

When Lindsey Gann's four kids all moved out within the same year, she fell into a depression she couldn't name. After being their mom since the age of 21, she didn't know who she was anymore. The woman underneath the mother had gone so quiet, she wasn't sure if she was still in there. Then one night, doom-scrolling Amazon, she ordered a clay starter kit. That clay became Bold and Bloom — a hand-sculpted floral jewelry brand for moms who have spent years being everything for everyone else and are finally ready to feel like themselves again. In this episode of The Money Hungry Mama Podcast, Brittany Plumeri sits down with Lindsey to talk about the part of motherhood almost nobody warns you about: what happens when the active mothering ends and you realize you forgot to keep being a person underneath it. Lindsey shares the empty nest depression that ambushed her, how she rebuilt her identity in her 40s through clay and creativity, the focus rule that saved her business, and the advice she wishes someone had given her at 21 — don't wait until they're gone. If you're a mom of young kids, teens, or college bound kids — this conversation is for you. It is the conversation nobody is having about preserving your identity while you mother, instead of trying to recover it afterward. 🎧 In this episode: ✔️ The empty nest depression nobody warned her about ✔️ Why becoming a mom at 21 meant losing who she was ✔️ How to start a business in your 40s with no experience ✔️ The "pick one thing" rule that saved Bold and Bloom ✔️ Working a full-time job while building a side business ✔️ Why you cannot wait until the kids are gone to find yourself ✔️ The redefinition of "Money Hungry Mama" every mom needs to hear ✔️ Selling at farmers markets vs. wholesale (and her next big goal) ✔️ Marketing handmade jewelry in 2026 ✔️ Why putting yourself first makes you a better mom ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro — Meet Lindsey Gann 00:08 What is Bold and Bloom? 00:56 Empty nest depression when all four kids leave at once 01:55 The advice every mom in the thick of it needs to hear 03:29 Becoming a mom at 21 — and losing herself in the process 04:11 Working full time and building a business 05:09 Doom-scrolling Amazon at midnight (and what happened next) 05:45 Why floral jewelry represents motherhood 12:00 The "pick one thing" focus rule 22:00 Why being seen matters when you've been invisible for years 26:39 People care about your post for 5 seconds — then they move on 28:10 The mindset that gets her through every workday 28:42 Her next big goal (Atlanta market, Las Vegas wholesale show) 30:17 Why "shiny object syndrome" almost killed her business 31:14 What it means to be a Money Hungry Mama 32:00 Why your bad mood is contagious to the whole house 33:13 How you can support Lindsey and Bold and Bloom 📚 Connect with Lindsey: 🔗 Bold and Bloom on Instagram: @_boldandbloom 🌐 Website: shopboldandbloom.com 💌 The Money Hungry Mama book launches 9/8/26 — https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mone... 👉 SUBSCRIBE for weekly conversations with moms building businesses, writing books, and remembering who they are along the way.