Kortne Ford: Built by Pain, Driven by Purpose

Viewer discretion is advised. This episode includes sensitive conversations about alcoholism, suicide threats, family instability, and difficult parent-child dynamics.

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with Alexandra Bojarski-Stauffer, architect, triathlete, and founder of Emerald Hive Design, to explore how childhood responsibility, financial instability, and emotional survival shaped the way she leads today. Alexandra shares how a childhood drafting board sparked her love of architecture, why roadblocks as a woman in architecture pushed her to start her own firm, and how becoming a caretaker for her parents forced her to grow up fast. The conversation also covers therapy, vulnerability, Team USA triathlon, mental resilience, visualization, business ownership, community, and the hidden family patterns that shaped Alexandra’s operating system.

Chapters
00:00 Cold Open: Pressure, Architecture, and Caretaking
01:04 Meet Alexandra Bojarski-Stauffer
01:35 Discovering Architecture at Age Four
03:22 Starting Her Own Firm After Career Roadblocks
09:55 Money, Family Instability, and Becoming the Caretaker
18:44 Therapy, Survival Mode, and Emotional Growth
25:10 Triathlon, Grit, and Competing With Team USA
37:32 Business Advice, Architecture, and Community Lessons

Hidden Foundations is a weekly podcast hosted by entrepreneur and investor Kendall Schoenrock, examining how family systems, early adversity, and childhood dynamics quietly shape high-performing adults. Each conversation uncovers the “invisible wiring” behind resilience, ambition, leadership, and grit — told through candid stories from entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and leaders.

Guided by the thesis that strength is forged early at home, the show uses a consistent framework to explore emotional environments, money narratives, family roles, conflict patterns, and early challenges. Every episode delivers at least one practical, repeatable insight for parents, leaders, and anyone seeking to understand how greatness is built long before it’s visible.

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Learn more or connect with Kendall:
Website: https://kendallschoenrock.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schoenrock/
SilverRock Ventures: https://silverrockventures.com/about-us/
YouTube: youtube.com/@HiddenFoundationsPod
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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-foundations/id1895154229

#HiddenFoundations #AlexandraBojarskiStauffer #WomenInArchitecture

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