In this episode, Gavin chats with Ali Stokes, a former nurse and Johnson & Johnson exec who left behind the safety of corporate life to build Beyond the Clinic — a virtual care platform reshaping how patients manage joint and muscle pain.

Ali shares her raw, honest journey of going from a well-paid healthcare role to bootstrapping a startup with zero income for two years. From burnout, imposter syndrome, and relationship strain to building a team of 12 and finding product-market fit, this episode pulls back the curtain on the real cost (and joy) of taking the leap into startup life.

Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch - completely bootstrapped.

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In this episode, we cover:

• Why Ali left corporate life at Johnson & Johnson
• The early struggles of bootstrapping a SaaS in health tech
• Building Beyond the Clinic with no external capital
• Navigating burnout, imposter syndrome and relationship strain
• Finding purpose and building something with real impact
• Why self-belief is more important than external validation
• The slow, iterative approach to product and business development
• What it really takes to build a startup while raising a family
• The power of mentorship and finding your founder tribe
• How to survive when your business tests you every week

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to The Leap 01:09 Meet Ali Stokes 03:42 Growing up in a small business family 06:18 Building Beyond the Clinic 07:20 Vision vs market direction 10:23 Disrupting healthcare without burning out 11:41 Life before becoming a founder 13:22 Making the leap and setting boundaries 16:10 Bootstrapping and early traction 19:08 The moment Ali knew she had to start 21:45 Navigating fear and self-doubt 25:40 Learning quickly and building capability 28:03 Facing the unknowns and pushing through 30:22 How Ali has changed through the journey 33:06 Endurance and motivation through hard times 36:25 Weekly habits to avoid burnout 39:08 What Ali wishes she knew earlier 42:52 The capital question and bootstrapping mindset 44:00 Where to find Ali

🔗 Links

- Ali Stokes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-stokes-66a464193/
- Beyond the Clinic: https://beyondtheclinic.io/

About Founders Collective

Founders Collective is a community built to connect like-minded founders, creators, and builders who believe in sharing the real stories behind the journey — not just the highlight reel. Our mission is to spark honest conversations, build meaningful connections, and help founders grow through collaboration, courage, and shared experience.

- Substack: founderscollectivecommunity.substack.com
- Gavin Tye on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gavintye