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"A LOT with Audra" is the podcast for women juggling big dreams and full lives. Each episode, host, Audra Dinell, Midwestern wife, mom and neurodivergent multi-six figure entrepreneur encourages women to embrace their many roles holistically by living a values-based life with confidence and joy. Through candid discussions, practical strategies and inspiring stories, this podcast is your guide to designing and achieving success without losing yourself in the process.
Ep85
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Welcome and Updates
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[00:00:00]
Audra Dinell: [00:01:00] Hey, welcome to A Lot with Audra. ~If you are a follower of The Thread, the women's leadership collective that has been around in Wichita, Kansas, and also Kansas City for six years... Wait, Brian, hang on. I'm gonna not say it that way.~ If you have been a follower of The Thread, the women's leadership collective that has been around in the Midwest for six years, you've seen some headlines recently of an evolution, a new path we're taking.
So today, I have the team on to dig into all of it. We are spilling the tea, we're answering the questions we keep getting, and we're just ~ta- ~gonna talk about where The Thread is as we approach our sixth year as a business. Okay, so welcome Kendra and Kristin
Kendra Moody: Hello?
Audra Dinell: I'm so glad we're all here together.
When's the last time we did a three-person podcast?
Kristen Selby: It's been a while
Kendra Moody: It's been a long time.
Why Change Now
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Audra Dinell: So we have been rolling around for this a whole year pretty much with what [00:02:00] does the next version of the thread look like? What does the thread 2.0 mean? Is the mission still the same? We had branched out to another market, and we had retracted that. We were just kind of feeling maybe itchy is the word for an evolution, but we didn't quite know what that was going to be How has the last year been for you?
Kendra Moody: Well, ~I thi- ~this is one of the things that I love the most about The Thread, and specifically you, Audra. I feel like ~the, ~just being able to be curious and explore different options and different things that we want The Thread to be is so freeing. We're not in a box, even though sometimes that box is really comfortable for me. ~Um, ~so while I say that the year has been fun and challenging, it's [00:03:00] also taught me so many things about letting go and allowing things to come when they're supposed to come forward
Audra Dinell: Hmm. I love the way you said that. Letting go has felt like a big theme for me lately too.
Kendra Moody: Yeah
Audra Dinell: And I mean, with that fun and challenge, those are two words we could use, there's also been anxiety and uncertainty and just, you know, when you're opening something up to question it, all those feelings come
Kristen Selby: Yeah. I think just to piggyback off of what Kendra said, I... What's become clear for me over the last 12 to 18 months is that the anchor of the good work that the Thread does and our team does has been so consistent. Like, the container and the different experiments that we've talked about or the different ideas or pivots, [00:04:00] that's kind of ~the, um, ~ebb and flow and maybe some of that, you know, depending on our personality, maybe some of that anxiety inducing or, like, creative space.
Like, that has all kind of come and gone and in and out of our team meetings, but the work that we love right? Like, creating connection and community, building confidence in women. Like, that has never changed, and that has always resonated and continues to
Audra Dinell: I love that because you're right. From the outside looking in, this might feel like, "What's going on?" But from the inside, and even our closest alum, the women in our community, the women who are, you know, closest, ~uh, ~professionally to us, there has been a lot of behind the scenes asking what's next, or, you know, is the mission still the same?
Final Cohort Details
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Audra Dinell: And so if you haven't read the article that was published last week, what we have decided to do [00:05:00] at The Thread is hold one last amazing cohort. So we have ran 11 cohorts here in Wichita. The Kansas City team ran three cohorts in Kansas City, and we have a final cohort, cohort 12, starting in the fall. We have a big welcome party in the spring with the alum and the new cohort members.
We have cohort 12 running from October through March. If you wanna get in on that, we'd love to have you. Deadline is September 25th, 2026. We have that scheduled as our very last cohort, and then we're evolving. And I'm curious what questions you have gotten around this.
Public Reaction and Emotions
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Audra Dinell: I happened to be at our booth at the Global Leadership Summit when the news story broke.
~Uh, ~and we had communicated to our community of alum and cohort members and speakers and mentors a couple days before that [00:06:00] this was the direction that we were taking, that we are having one final cohort, and then we're gonna double down on the alum community that the cohort's built. So our people already knew about it.
The article came out, and then I was at the Global Leadership Summit, and it was such a great place to be because I got to have so many amazing conversations, and I feel like people were coming up to the booth, and we had some alum working the booth with me, and they really wanted to know the vibe. And some people came up and said, "Oh my gosh, it's exciting.
Whatever you do next, it's gonna be great. Congratulations." And some people came up and were like, " What's going on?" And so I just really felt like kind of both of those two things pulling at one another. Kind of like a bittersweet or like a little bit of confusion, but also excitement or anticipation for what could be [00:07:00] coming
Kendra Moody: I feel like bittersweet is such the right word. And with change comes fear, and oftentimes ~m- ~the perception could be that change is good or bad, and it has to be one or the other. And in this case, I just feel like it was what our hearts were calling for us. Like, it doesn't mean anything was bad. It was truly us being like, "Gosh, ~uh, ~we want something."
Like, there's just something there that's calling to us. I feel like, Kristen, you made a good point about, like, the foundation, and the foundation of the thread the last 11 cohorts has become the women that have gone through it. being able to serve them in a deeper way is so exciting
Kristen Selby: Yeah, and we, like, we [00:08:00] know that the most impactful, long-lasting organizations and businesses, they pivot, and they listen to data, and they listen to the people that they serve, and they keep the same model, you know,
Kendra Moody: Yeah
Kristen Selby: forever. And so, ~um, ~but you're right, Kendra. I think, like, with change comes fear.
There's, like, a little bit of grief, and I think certainly, like, our team is feeling that very acutely. ~Um, like, kind of... ~Like, I've been kind of split, like, half so excited and like, yes, like a, like a full body yes, this is right, and oh man, like that, that was such a sweet chapter of, like, the three of us creating these cohorts and, ~um, ~like all the things that we've gone through during that time.
And so, bittersweet's the right word.
Kendra Moody: Yeah
Audra Dinell: I think when you say grief, our team has been through it. I feel like we're at a different place having [00:09:00] gone this year through the sort of curiosity and what's next and the questions. And so where I feel like we are today is that we have sort of been through some of those feelings already
~Um, can we pause real quick?~
~Do y'all hear that? Brian, you hear that? What, what is that? That's like a crackle. Can you hear it, Kendra?~
Kendra Moody: ~I can~
Audra Dinell: ~I hear it. Hmm. That's so weird.~
Kendra Moody: ~What is~
Audra Dinell: ~I j-~
Kendra Moody: ~if he can~
Audra Dinell: ~I know~
Kendra Moody: ~if he can...~
Kristen Selby: ~Is it~
Kendra Moody: ~trying to look on whose thing is~
Audra Dinell: ~Mine is working. Okay. I'm gonna have him pop on when he gets a chance~
Kristen Selby: ~I don't hear it now.~
Kendra Moody: ~don't hear it~
Kristen Selby: ~Oh, it's just when we speak maybe~
Audra Dinell: ~I know. It's like, is someone, something mo-~
Kendra Moody: ~It sounds like a scroller, like~
~somebody ~
Audra Dinell: ~I know. But obviously we're not~
Kendra Moody: ~Right~
Audra Dinell: ~Yours says app is not focused now.~
Kendra Moody: ~What does that mean?~
Audra Dinell: ~I don't know. Let me see~
Kendra Moody: ~Oh, okay. It's because I clicked off of, like, this to see. I was like, "Okay, do I have too many tabs open?" So yeah, if you click on something else, does it say it again?~
Audra Dinell: ~Yeah~
Kendra Moody: ~Okay. So yeah, if, if you click on something else, it'll pull it up, but~
Audra Dinell: ~Um, okay, well I texted him so hopefully he'll hop on. Okay, Brian, we're gonna jump back into the convo.~
Strategy Behind the Pivot
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Audra Dinell: You know, I had told a local leader who's really well-respected and considered innovative, I had been in a conversation with him and just shared, "You know, we are stepping into a new season and I'm having a hard time explaining the why because there really is no concrete reason.
Nothing is broken, nothing has gone wrong, but I just feel that it's time to let go of this to make space for whatever's next." And he said something that gave me a ton of peace. He was like, [00:10:00] "Audra, that's a business strategy. You are changing your model before the industry, the economy, the clients, the whatever change it for you."
And I was like, "That's it. That's what we're doing. There's no reason, there's nothing wrong, it's just time and the three of us feel it ~Hey, there's like a weird crackling of like, um, sounds like someone's like scrolling, but no one's scrolling, like on a mouse or something~
~And it's usually when we're talking. Do you hear that?~
Kendra Moody: ~Audra, I feel like it's almost when you're talking~
Audra Dinell: ~Okay~
Kendra Moody: ~Try saying like a sentence again~
Audra Dinell: ~You know what? It's... Okay, try that. It's pretty low. Do you hear that? I hear it.~
Kendra Moody: ~It was like a little pop~
Audra Dinell: ~Yeah~
Kendra Moody: ~Do you have a fan or anything on in your office, Audra?~
Audra Dinell: ~I don't. And I, like, no one's home.~
Kendra Moody: ~That's fine.~
Audra Dinell: ~Like, I almost thought it was, like, Murphy hitting something on the side or s- you know? It's like~
Kendra Moody: ~Yeah~
Audra Dinell: ~Okay~
~Okay~
So from the public, there's been a mix of anticipation, excitement, also kind of confusion and trying to understand, and I'm definitely feeling that people are trying to understand, you know, what our vibe is.
Alum Momentum and Vision
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Audra Dinell: From the alum community though, it has been just such a beautiful response
Kendra Moody: I feel like ~this ~alum have responded with such excitement about what's to come, what this will look like in the next year. I feel like has been such a strong year for our, our alumna. They've been showing up. They've really been [00:11:00] building community and connections together, even outside of the spaces that we provide. And so it just feels like there's so much momentum there, and I love that it's almost like dating, like that feeling is mutual.
They're as excited as we are to like come even more together and see what we get to do in 2027
What If Alum First
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Audra Dinell: I would agree ~Okay~
~Okay. How's that? It's like it's all the way down. Can't go down anymore~
~Okay~
Kristen Selby: ~Mm-hmm.~
Kendra Moody: ~Mm-hmm.~
Audra Dinell: ~Eh. I mean, we can, we can talk through it~
Kendra Moody: ~Yeah~
Audra Dinell: ~Okay~
~Okay and Bryan, I just wanna flag that you're the only man in my life who could tell me to turn my mic down~
~Okay. Yeah~
Kendra Moody: ~Oh, I love it~
Audra Dinell: ~Can I kick you off? Okay.~
Kendra Moody: ~there we go~
Audra Dinell: ~I can remove you from session if you're not all the way... Do you want me to remove from session? Okay~
~Okay, Bryan, we are starting the second half of this. When I removed you, it shut off our recording So Kendra, when we realized that the feeling was mutual... Wait, wait, wait. What were you talking about the feeling is mutual for alum? Okay, hang on, Bryan~
Kendra Moody: ~but I think you had s- you explained our summer meeting~
Audra Dinell: ~Yeah,~
Kendra Moody: ~and how... So yeah~
Audra Dinell: ~Yep.~ So at the beginning of the summer, our team sat down and we were in a what if meeting, and this was a concoction that I brought to the table that it was a forced, ~it was a forced ~family fun And for five minutes, I set a timer and I said, "We're all gonna throw out ideas, and we have to start with what if, and the only thing that can be responded to everyone's ideas is wow." So we're going round robin on this, and Kendra and Kristen are just playing along, and I'm like having the time of [00:12:00] my life, and Kristen says, "What if the center of the thread was actually focused on the alum?" And we were like, "Wow."
Kristen Selby: Wow.
Kendra Moody: And wanted to say so much more.
Audra Dinell: Yes, and I was like giving the eyes, like not until the timer goes off. That's just a wow. But so then we started pulling those layers back and talking about it, and we realized we actually are getting the most energy currently by pouring into alum, doing the alum programming. That's what is exciting us.
And so we kinda just kept taking steps down that path, and they led to where we are, which is realizing, okay, we're going to pause cohort so that we can turn our full attention to alum.
Listening Session Insights
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Audra Dinell: And so the middle of the summer, we pulled together about 30 of our alum from cohorts one through 11, and we just did this listening [00:13:00] session to find out where are you now? Where were you in the cohort? What's changed? What do you need? What could the thread help support you in differently? And answers we got and the feedback was just, it was really cool
Kendra Moody: Yeah. It was so special because everything that we heard from our alum was exactly what we were feeling like, where we wanted to take the alum experience. And something that has come up for me in the last few weeks as we've been exploring this, is that really the cohort is the start of the journey for Women with a Thread.
That is not the journey itself, but that's where everything begins. And then once they go through the cohort, it's like life happens after that, and it's how you approach business, it's how you approach relationships, [00:14:00] it's how you kind of live your life now as a Thread alumna. You, ~you ~build relationships differently.
You show up differently in different places. And one of the things that I have felt is that so much of our energy and our investment of time is with our cohorts, and we deliver the Thread program or the alumna program. So it's, ~it's ~something that we deliver, where I feel like this shift is going to allow us to really engage with our alumna and be part of that experience with them versus just deliver it to them
Audra Dinell: I love that distinction and I hadn't really looked at it that You know, the Thread, a cohort has always been like the way, the path, right? The
Kendra Moody: Yeah
Audra Dinell: into the Thread. And then our alum programming is actually much ~w- ~less known, I think. People often talk about our cohorts, [00:15:00] but people who haven't been through the Thread don't always think about or talk about the alum. But the alum programming has been running, you know, year after year since probably cohort two, I think, or even cohort one. We really tried to start it up, it's become very strong over time now that we have so many women who have been through the Thread. And so now it's kinda created this whole thing of its own.
Women are walking into the space. They know they're walking into ~s- ~the space with other women who value growth. They know they're walking into the space with other women who have gone through the Thread and have bought into the culture of the Thread, and so they're already walking in with that understanding, but they don't actually know each other.
Whereas the whole thing with the cohorts are you're gonna be in this container with 30 women for six months, and you're gonna get to know many of the women in your cohort well.
Kendra Moody: Mm-hmm.
Audra Dinell: And now they're walking [00:16:00] into whole rooms that have, you know, 50, 60 women in them from cohorts one through 11, and they've only been in one cohort.
So it's this whole different beast now,
Kendra Moody: Yeah
Audra Dinell: and I say beast in the most loving way
Kendra Moody: Yeah.
New Alum Programming Plans
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Kendra Moody: And I think that making this evolution allows us to bring components of the cohort program that are so special and a true, like, foundational piece of that, bring that to alumna. Like, I know we're talking about doing mastermind groups for our alumna. We're, ~we're ~changing how we do book clubs.
We're-- The intention that we're bringing to, that we are going to be able to bring to alumna now feels a lot like we're starting a cohort, [00:17:00] but it's with 300 women that have, ~have ~been here and know what to expect
Audra Dinell: Yeah. There's already that level of ~from the familiarari- fa-ba-ba-ba.~ Familiarity.
Kendra Moody: Mm-hmm.
Audra Dinell: ~Brian, can you correct that? Let me think about where I wanna go. Um Because I don't wanna say too much about what we're gonna do for alum.~
Kendra Moody: ~I wonder, do you think it'd be-- 'cause I'm looking at some of the kind words, and maybe something, another why. So you, we-- I know like Rachel Peters, you sent us that email. Several of them have said that like, it, like what this community has brought for me, going through the thread, so many of them have said what has happened after the thread in their lives that has meant so much to them.~
Audra Dinell: ~Uh-huh~
Kendra Moody: ~so for us, getting to be able to dive in more and be part of that w- I don't know if you wanna maybe highlight that too, that like we want to be able to experience that and be a, a part of that and, um, see more of that from a front row seat. I don't know if that~
Audra Dinell: ~Yeah. what I'll say, and Brian, like, sorry you've got a lot of editing to do on this one, but, um, maybe what I'll say, I'll, I'll share something and then maybe you could share that, and then let's wrap with, um The friend thing because I just think~
Kendra Moody: ~Oh, yeah. That is funny~
Audra Dinell: ~that... Okay, and then I'll ask if there's anything else that came up.~
Kendra Moody: ~Yeah~
Audra Dinell: ~So what I keep... Okay, so Brian, we'll keep, we'll start, we'll start back.~ So what I keep saying is the mission is the same. We are still here in existence to support women they become more confident in themselves this season, their gifts, what they have to provide to the world, and their work. And we also exist to help women build community. And I think we've done a really good job with the cohorts of focusing on both of those things, confidence and community. I feel like we're, like, double-tapping or we're deep-diving now into the community angle of, like, okay, one of the Thread alum, ~I'll ~won't forget this, this keeps coming up in my [00:18:00] brain during our listening call. She was like, "I just need someone to take the mental load off of friendships with women that I wanna be friends with
Kendra Moody: Yeah. I remember so many of our alumna in that conversation being, wanting, ~wanting ~more community, wanting more relationship building, wanting to make more connections. And the other thing that I've seen with many of our alumna responding to this announcement is that so much change for them has happened after they went through the cohort.
And so there's been growth, there's been career advancements, there's been new businesses, ~th- ~there's been things that have changed their lives after going through the cohort, that they credit The Thread as having a piece of that. And I am so [00:19:00] excited to be able to have a front row seat to that, because we don't right now.
Our front row seats are with the cohorts. And so being able to be in the alum experience with our alumna as they're doing these big, beautiful things makes me very, very excited.
Kristen Selby: I feel like I'm really excited to have an answer for, like at the end of every cohort, the women share the same thing. They're like, "I don't want this to end." And we're like, "Oh, it doesn't have to end." ~A- ~and then cue the alum experience. And up until this point, I mean, it's been an amazing experience if you get involved in the alum, but I agree with you, Kendra.
I feel like our energy and intention to the alum programming, it's going to make it feel like this continuation of their cohort experience as they navigate all of those changes in life. Like, you know, I feel like we're just creating this space for [00:20:00] women, ~uh, ~who are like-valued, like-minded, ~um, ~to do life with one another, and I think that's gonna be so powerful
Kendra Moody: I love that. Doing life together,
Kristen Selby: Hmm
Kendra Moody: all 300 of us.
Audra Dinell: together. Doing life and work together, all 300.
Still Friends
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Audra Dinell: Okay, so the funniest question that I think we've heard so far is, "Are the three of you still friends?"
Kendra Moody: Oh, I love it
Audra Dinell: I know. Are we friends? my
Kendra Moody: my gosh. Like
Kristen Selby: sleepover as recent as
Kendra Moody: For sure.
Kristen Selby: months ago.
Audra Dinell: Less than two months ago,
Kristen Selby: I just...
Audra Dinell: had a sleepover
Kristen Selby: We, yeah, we're this trio is destined,
Kendra Moody: I know
Kristen Selby: we've gone through too many things. We've seen too much.
Audra Dinell: seen too much.
Kendra Moody: Yeah.
Audra Dinell: where the dead bodies
Kendra Moody: yeah, we have,
Audra Dinell: leaving each
Kendra Moody: we are in oath, blood, whatever it is. We are [00:21:00] tied together
Audra Dinell: And we actually have a thread baby that's technically, you know,
Kristen Selby: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Audra Dinell: ours it feels like.
Kendra Moody: For sure. He is.
Audra Dinell: the child that binds us
Kendra Moody: So can he come to your house? Like, when, ~when, when ~would you like custody of him as a threenager?
Audra Dinell: will still just, like, keep them entertained on Zoom calls for a few minutes. Yeah, yeah.
Kendra Moody: Oh, that's funny
Join Cohort 12 and Next Steps
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Audra Dinell: well, as we kind of close this episode, I want to invite you, if you are listening and you have been thinking about the Thread, you've been watching, you've been on the sidelines, your friends have been talking about it, I would love to invite you to join us for our last cohort. can find links in the show notes. But we are gonna make it just one really, really amazing cohort 12, and then our alum programming kicks off 2027. We have a couple of more things for alum in 2026, ~um, ~a social and a book [00:22:00] club, and we're really excited about what we're building. We'll share with our alum September what 2027 is going to look like.
And will there be a chance to get into the Thread community after this cohort? The answer is we hope so,
Kendra Moody: Yeah.
Audra Dinell: we're going to consult our alum. We're gonna do it in a way that we make sure feels honoring to their experience. nothing is set, and in 2027, we don't necessarily envision having a way to be a part of the Thread outside of turning into alum at this point.
Would you agree?
Kendra Moody: Yeah.
Audra Dinell: Yeah.
Kendra Moody: I would. Nothing's off the table, but also nothing's on the table right now except our alum.
Audra Dinell: We're excited. ~it's har- ~I think a lot of people sometimes want, like, this big, sexy unveiling of, like, "We're doing this." And it's like, for our team, it just felt like [00:23:00] the cohorts have been beautiful, and they have been valuable, and they have been impactful, we sort of have to let go of that work to make space for the big what's next, whatever that may be.
Kendra Moody: Yeah
Audra Dinell: so, know, I just feel like this would have been so much easier if we had an answer, but the answer is we're letting go, we're trusting, and we're making space,
Kendra Moody: Yeah
Audra Dinell: we're excited to double down on our alum
Kendra Moody: Which also feels very us. Like, that's how I feel like we've approached the Thread. ~How-- ~I mean, that's how you operate, Audra. That's the beauty of your approach to life, and I feel like you've brought it so well into the Thread community. And so I do think those that see how we approach this, it probably feels like a natural, " Yes, this makes sense."
Audra Dinell: Well, thank you for saying that.
Kendra Moody: You're welcome
Closing Banter and Farewell
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Audra Dinell: Okay, any last words? Any last tea to spill?
Kendra Moody: [00:24:00] No T.
Kristen Selby: No tea.
Kendra Moody: We're not breaking up. The band is still together.
Audra Dinell: Although someone, PS, did ask if I was trying to do like a Justin Timberlake situation, like trying to leave NSYNC and be Justin Timberlake, and I thought that was hilarious
Kendra Moody: I love it. I love JT.
Kristen Selby: the answer is always
Audra Dinell: I mean,
Kendra Moody: Oh, yeah.
Audra Dinell: yeah
Kendra Moody: Yeah
I mean, if you could go be JT, do that.
Audra Dinell: Listen,
Kendra Moody: have your, two of your biggest fan girls. I'll be the Jessica Biel to your JT any day.
Audra Dinell: Nothing is off the table. Nothing is off the table. All right, thanks for listening. We cannot wait to have you back next week and visit our website, send people. We're so excited about this last cohort, and we are just feeling so grateful for the eyes and ears and hearts of our local community who has supported us for six years All right.
Until next time.
[00:25:00]